


Compromised

by sapphicbenoist



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Undercover AU, Wayhaught - Freeform, minor doc Holliday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-11-12 14:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18012950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicbenoist/pseuds/sapphicbenoist
Summary: "Was it all fake?""No." Nicole shook her head quickly. "No, Waverly. None of it was fake. Not us, at least.""How am I supposed to know that?" Waverly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "How am I supposed to believe you after all of this?"Nicole could feel her heart breaking more and more with each word. "I don't know."ORThe one where Nicole goes undercover at a club where Waverly works.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm writing like three fics at once for this couple but I'm like a chapter away from being finished with this one so i thought I'd upload it and see what everyone thinks (:

Relief flushed over Nicole as the judge called out the sentence. _25 to life._ Nicole's work was done. She spent months undercover on this case. Hours and hours spent trying to get rock hard evidence to get justice for the victims.

 

It was all worth it, though. Every second, every minute, every hour of every day — she'd be lying if she said she wasn't glad it was over — because she was glad. No more lying about who she really was to the people closest and most important to her, no more secrets and avoided questions. No more long nights — at least not for a while — spent working on zero sleep, drinking five hour energy shots just to stay awake.

 

Dolls smiled at her from the other side of the room, she smiled back. The brightness returning to both of their eyes from before. She walked out of the courtroom, speaking shortly to the parents of the victim - of Mercedes.

 

The cool breeze felt like heaven against her skin as she walked through the exit of the courthouse. She stopped in her tracks when a familiar face came into view.

 

Waverly was standing with Wynonna and Chrissy, leaned up against the railing of the stairs, engaging in a quiet conversation. Nicole was going to walk past like she didn't notice the group of girls until Waverly's eyes found hers through the crowd of people. Her heart stopped and everything in her body froze.

 

She watched as Waverly said something to the two girls before making her way towards Nicole. Stopping a couple feet away from her, crossing her arms.

 

"You caught him." Waverly said, pointing out the obvious.

 

Nicole smiled nervously. "I had help."

 

There was silence for a few minutes. Nicole's nerves only grew more with each pause from Waverly.

 

"Was it all fake?"

 

"No." Nicole shook her head quickly. "No, Waverly. None of it was fake. Not us, at least."

 

"How am I supposed to know that?" Waverly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "How am I supposed to believe you after all of this?"

 

Nicole could feel her heart breaking more and more with each word. "I don't know."

 

——

 

The summer heat felt nice against Nicole's skin. The sun was shining bright in the sky, even if it was only seven in the morning. You wouldn't be able to tell from the amount of people roaming the streets, the light spilling around them.

 

Summer was Nicole's second favorite season, next to fall of course. The way everyone suddenly returned from hibernation. The streets of Calgary would fill with people sporting bright smiles, laugher and happiness. Families would gather on the beaches, throughout the stores, around the park. It was hard not to forget all the bad happening around her — or how she had to go into work everyday and deal with that bad.

 

She sighed quietly, stepping into the precinct that was almost like her second home. The familiar scent of coffee and baked foods from the cafe in the front lobby filled her senses. She made her way through security before stepping into the elevator and pressing the button to the homicide division.

 

Walking out of the elevator and quickly getting a cup of coffee, she made her way to her desk. Shoving her gun and badge into her top drawer, sitting down and scanning the files on her desk.

 

The night before was spent catching up on paperwork that she procrastinated about doing for weeks. Most of it was just final reports of petty crimes that she helped out on but for some reason, she hated doing it. Every cop complained about paperwork, it was a stereotype at this point but no one knew how accurate they were when they made the statements.

 

"Haught!" She turned to see her boss — Nedley — poking his head out of his office. "I need you for a minute."

 

Nicole was grateful for the added distraction. Sergeant Nedley was a good boss. He never asked too much of his detectives and any situation or case he could help with, he would. A lot of Sergeants at other precincts cared more about bossing their employee's around than actually taking the time to do their job and remain involved. He never forgot that at one point in time, he was that detective that hated his boss. That detective that sometimes needed an extra push but gently and careful. Not rushed and hard.

 

"Yes, Sir?" She entered his office, pausing for a moment when she recognized the man standing next to Nedley's desk. "Dolls?"

 

"I have an assignment for you." Nedley spoke, still standing.

 

"An undercover assignment?" She quirked an eyebrow. "Must be serious if the ATF is involved."

 

"A girl has been murdered. It came across our radar a few days ago, a couple detectives checked it out and didn't find anything. When the ATF caught wind of it, they informed us that our case ties in with one of theirs."

 

Nicole nodded. "What's the case?" She asked, mainly towards Dolls.

 

He cleared his throat before speaking. "The ATF has been conducting an investigation on a shipment of drugs getting in, out and around Canada — mainly in our area. We were stumped for a while until we found out the base of operations is a night club just outside of Calgary. Far enough to stay off of our radar but close enough to have buyers in all the major cities around us."

 

"And this has to do with the murder, how?"

 

"Your victim worked at this night club. We think she got herself into something dangerous and got hurt because of it. We had an agent undercover there for a few days but he was a rookie and got busted before we could get any valid information."

 

"So, you're basing this entire case off of suspicions?"

 

Nedley cleared his throat, stopping whatever argument was about to start. Nicole has known Xavier for years. They were partners when they both worked in narcotics before Nicole moved to homicide and Dolls got offered a job with the ATF. At first, they kept in touch. Meeting up for a cup of coffee before or after work when they could and talking occasionally over the phone. Once Dolls got moved, though. They lost touch.

 

"I just need to know if you're in, Nicole." Dolls spoke.

 

"What are the parameters?"

 

"You'll go undercover as a business woman new to the town. It's not a big city but the population has grown over the years, making your story believable. You'll go into the club a few nights out of the week, not too often that anyone gets suspicious but enough that you know your way around and are friendly with a few of the employees. We'll plant bugs when you get something worth listening in on. All you have to do is get information and evidence, it's an easy job."

 

An _easy_ job that Nicole would later start to regret taking. She'd do anything to bring killers to justice, helping the ATF was just an added bonus. After Nicole agreed to taking the case, her and Dolls set up a time and place to meet to create a solid backstory and identity.

 

That's how she found herself in a small coffee shop in Purgatory. The town was almost non-existent, that's how small it was. The population _has_ grown but it was mostly filled with outlaw bikers mixed with innocent civilians oblivious to what was going on around them.

 

Nicole settled into the seat across from Dolls. He pulled out files on the victim — Mercedes Gardner. They went over the basic details. Apparently, according to the ATF, this club has gotten a lot of attention recently. They tried infiltrating once before but the rookie undercover got made two days into the job. They decided that Nicole would keep her first name as Nicole and just change her last. They set her up at an apartment on the outside of Purgatory, it wasn't small but it wasn't big enough to draw any attention. A believable living situation to go with her businesswoman alias. They talked for a few hours, making sure they had everything down that they needed to know.

 

"How's Shae?" Dolls tried to act casual.

 

Nicole quirked an eyebrow. "No idea." She answered shortly. "I don't talk to her anymore."

 

"You're telling me you guys broke up?"

 

"Yeah. It just didn't work out."

 

Dolls gave her a questioning look but didn't press any further, which Nicole was grateful for. Shae was a small part of her past that she didn't care to look back on, there was no reason to relive everything that happened between them.

 

——

 

About a week later Nicole was sitting down on a barstool at the club — Peacemaker. When she walked in, the first thing she noticed was how packed it seemed to be. It was just nearing sundown, according to the schedule posted outside the door, the club just opened. But people were crowded into the space partying like they'd been there for hours.

 

She had also noticed the amount of people that seemed to favor the back hallway behind the bar. Groups and groups of people flooded in and out of the small space, excitement spread across their faces. She studied the area for a few minutes, enough time to assess what was going on but not long enough to draw any unwanted attention to herself.

 

"Can I get you a drink?"

 

Nicole looked up to see a smiling brunette leaning across the bar, a hand towel slung over one shoulder.

 

"What do you recommend?"

 

The brunette shrugged. "What do you do for a living?"

 

Nicole quirked an eyebrow. "Business."

 

"Gin and tonic it is."

 

She watched as the small girl made the drink with ease and perfection, sliding it across the bar without another word.

 

"What does my work have to do with what I drink?"

 

She shrugged. "Business is stressful. Gin is strong, tonic helps the taste."

 

So for about a week, Nicole would come into the club, sit down at the bar and the woman would hand her a gin and tonic. Nicole would order some water in between each drink so she had a little stability and sobriety to keep doing her job.

 

Dolls' boss was, of course, an asshole. Lucado kept tabs on everything they were doing, every minute down to every second. They could barely get a word in about the operation without getting orders barked at them to do _this_ and do _that._ Nicole definitely preferred Nedley.

 

"You know, you've been coming here for a week and I haven't seen you interact with anyone."

 

Nicole looked up from her drink. "I interact with you."

 

"I'd hardly call that a good time." The brunette snorted.

 

"I think you're good company." Nicole smirked.

 

She watched as the bartender suddenly became nervous, shifted her weight from one foot to the other and picking at a chipped spot on the counter. She leaned onto her elbows, smiling slightly.

 

"Do you have a name, by chance? Or should I just continue calling you the nameless businesswoman."

 

She chuckled. "Nicole."

 

"Well, Nicole. I'm Waverly, it's nice to meet you." She extended her hand, taking Nicole's and shaking it gently.

 

"I think we're past formalities."

 

Over the course of a week, they'd grown close. Well, as close as Nicole could get without compromising herself or the case. Waverly would smile when Nicole came into the club, immediately meeting her eyes. They'd make jokes throughout the night as Nicole pretended to be working while Waverly served her drinks and sometimes food. Nicole almost looked forward to seeing Waverly at the end of the day.

 

She'd go into the bar, get as much information as she could, — which was basically nothing at this point — talk for a bit before returning 'home'. Her days consisted of briefing Dolls, Lucado and Nedley on what she'd been seeing. Their interest and attention was mainly focused towards whatever was happening in the back room. Something was definitely going on there but Nicole couldn't just waltz down the hallway without causing suspicions.

 

Nicole got used to the routine, she had to. This is what it was like going undercover. Meeting with handlers and bosses, hardly sleeping and spending most of the time working. This would be her life for the next month at minimum, if she was lucky.

 

She walked into the club one night, taking her usual seat. Her and Waverly started their friendly conversations — if flirting almost all the time was considered friendly.

 

"Can I ask you a question?" Nicole prompted.

 

"Shoot."

 

Nicole looked around the room, taking in the various faces — some familiar snd some not — before speaking. "Why bartending? And why here?"

 

"My boyfriend got me the job. He's the manager here and when I mentioned I needed the money, he offered to put in a good word with his boss. Got hired the next day."

 

_There it is,_ Nicole thought. _Boyfriend._ The disappointment that settled in the pit of her stomach was unwelcomed, she took a drink to soothe the feeling. A big part of her knew that there was no way someone like Waverly wasn't dating someone but the way she smiled flirtatiously at Nicole almost every time they talked, the way her fingers would gently brush over her hand when she laughed, there was prominent doubt in Nicole's head that Waverly was straight.

 

Even so, straight, bisexual, gay or otherwise, Nicole didn't have a chance. She was here undercover, for a job, nothing else. She couldn't create relationships with someone on the inside, it was dangerous and would only lead to heartbreak and hurt.

 

The next day, Nicole met with everyone at the precinct in a small meeting room on the top floor. Lucado standing at the head of the table with Dolls off to her left. Nicole sat on the right in a desk chair, leaning back comfortably into the cushion.

 

"Brief me and for the love of God, give me something worth working for."

 

Nicole shrugged as she sighed. "There's nothing more today than we had yesterday. There's no way for me to get into that backroom without someone noticing and I'm not sure if I can just walk back there without needing something to get in. It's too dangerous."

 

"And this bartender-"

 

"Waverly."

 

"Waverly." Lucado rolled her eyes. "Is she any help? Can you get something out of her?"

 

"The only thing I've gathered is that her boyfriend, Champ Hardy, is the manager of the club."

 

Dolls huffed. "You can't get close to him?"

 

"I haven't actually met the guy."

 

Lucado looked through the files laid out across the table. "I find it hard to believe that the manager wouldn't be there at least once throughout the two weeks you've been going."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Well, he hasn't."

 

"Everything leads back to whatever is through that door at the end of the hallway. You need to find someway in." Dolls suggested.

 

"And we need to speed this investigation up. My boss is getting restless and I have literally _nothing_ to give him. Get me something new or I'm pulling you out by the end of this week."

 

Lucado walked out of the room, Nedley following close behind saying something as they walked through the doors. Nicole sighed and leaned back further into the chair, rubbing her eyes.

 

"No sleep catching up to you?"

 

"I got three hours before I had to come in here and say the same thing I've been saying for weeks." Nicole looked at Dolls.

 

He sat down in the chair across from her, clasping his hands on top of the table. "This Waverly girl," He started. "There's no way you can get closer to her?"

 

Nicole knew what he was saying, she shook her head. "She has a boyfriend and as far as I can tell, she's not a part of this. She has no more than we do on what's going on between those walls."

 

"It's worth a shot, Nicole."

 

"I said no." She was quick to reply. "I'm the one on the inside, I'll get us what we need. We're not bringing Waverly into this."

 

Dolls raised his hands in a surrender position. "Sounds like someone has a crush."

 

"Shut up."


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, I'm case anyone was worried, this definitely won't be a slow burn but there definitely will be angst (:

Change. Waverly didn't mind change. It was something she mostly looked forward to. But recently, everything around her has been changing and it was a _very_ unwelcomed change.

 

When Champ offered Waverly a job at Peacemaker, she was ecstatic. She knew, obviously, working as a bartender wouldn't be anyone's ideal definition of fun. She met many people in just a year of working there. A lot of familiar faces came in and out of the club on a daily basis but, none of them _really_ caught her attention until a certain redhead starting occupying her nights with various topics of conversation and flirtatious jokes.

 

It was a routine by now. Nicole would come in, Waverly would serve her, they'd talk, joke and laugh all night until it was finally time for Nicole to leave or Waverly's shift was over.

 

She knew, _technically,_ flirting with Nicole while dating Champ was nothing more than a dangerous idea. She couldn't help it, though. Something about the tall, beautiful woman intrigued her.

 

"So, is it just me or is something weird happening here?"

 

Waverly looked up from the cash register, closing the tab of a regular patron. She gave her sister a questioning look. "What?"

 

Her mind instantly went back to her previous thoughts, _Nicole._

 

"Seriously, Waves. I practically own this club and I don't know half of what's happening inside of it. Why aren't we allowed downstairs? Why do people come in and out asking for Rosita or your boyfriend but never buy a drink? I have questions that need answers."

 

Waverly glanced at Nicole quickly. She seemed entranced in whatever work she was doing, far enough away that she probably couldn't hear what was being said.

 

"Wynonna, I really don't think you should be asking those questions."

 

"It's _my_ club!"

 

"No," Waverly corrected. "It's Rosita's club, you're just the secondary owner. Plus, if she wanted, she could pull that title right out from underneath you and we _both_ know that."

 

Wynonna huffed. "I hate this, I hate not knowing things. I should investigate."

 

"No, you shouldn't. Seriously, Wynonna. Stay out of it. _Please_ _._ "

 

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Now, go serve that cute redhead over there that's been giving you eyes full of jealousy ever since I showed up before she blows up from overthinking." She said before walking away.

 

"She's not-" Waverly stopped as Wynonna moved out of earshot. "Jealous." She mumbled.

 

Quickly grabbing a glass and mixing the gin and tonic together, she slid it across the bar towards Nicole.

 

"How's work?" She asked.

 

Nicole shrugged, sighing at the papers laid out in front of her. "Boring. How's yours?"

 

Waverly started to think Wynonna was right, or close to being right. The way Nicole looked at her, like she _literally_ put the stars in the sky.

 

"It's been good. My sister stopped in today so that was good." She tried not to be so obvious.

 

Nicole sighed quietly, visible relief flooding over her. "That's amazing. Does she work here or?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "Not really but kind of? She's the secondary owner but the original owner, Rosita, she doesn't really care much for Wynonna running the club."

 

"Oh, that's too bad." Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. "Has Wynonna said anything?"

 

"No. She kinda just takes what Rosita gives." She shrugged. "She'll get the club one day, I guess."

 

Nicole nodded thoughtfully. "I'd better get going, it's getting late." She smiled. "I'll see you around, okay?"

 

——

 

The next day, Waverly walked through the doors, taking in the familiar atmosphere. She walked lazily across the empty floor and behind the bar, immediately taking out the drawer and counting the money inside. Marking it down on a sheet of paper before filling all of the bottles.

 

"Hey, babe."

 

She glanced at her boyfriend before putting the last bottle onto the shelf behind her. "Hey. You staying here overnight?" She asked.

 

Champ shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure yet. Rosita mentioned needing my help with something."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes when he looked away. Him and Rosita have been extra secretive lately. Usually, Waverly could put up with his lies. He wasn't very good at it to begin with but, she let him believe she was that oblivious. Recently though, secret after secret had started piling up.

 

Champ spent less time around the club, something not only she had noticed, but also a few of the other bartenders. Managers usually stuck around during the night but it had changed once Mercedes came up missing.

 

She let it go, though. She couldn't afford to get fired from this job, barely making rent as it is. There was no way she could afford to skip a paycheck — part of the reason she was here running off of only a few hours of sleep — she couldn't afford to ask questions and perhaps get fired.

 

"Well, if you do decide to stay. Let me know?"

 

"Sure." He replied, pecking her on the cheek before heading to the back towards the basement.

 

Just like clockwork, Nicole was greeting Waverly at the bar around ten thirty. Waverly's features instantly brightened at the dimpled smile in front of her.

 

"So, I've realized something." Nicole started, taking her usual seat at the end of the bar.

 

"Uh huh, what's that?" Waverly quirked an eyebrow.

 

"I haven't bought you a drink yet." She smirked.

 

"I'm working."

 

Nicole gave her a knowing look. "Don't bartenders drink?"

 

"Maybe the other ones but certainly not me." She joked.

 

Nicole leaned forward on her elbows. "How about this, I buy you a drink. That way, you're _technically_ allowed to accept it."

 

Waverly laughed. "You're smooth, huh?"

 

She looked around the bar, searching the crowd and pointing out each worker in her head. Champ sometimes lurked around, he also sometimes got upset when Waverly accepted drinks from _anyone_ _._ She knew it was stupid but he was her boss — and her boyfriend.

 

"You looking for someone?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "Just making sure my boyfriend isn't anywhere around here."

 

She didn't miss the jealousy that set across Nicole's features. It was actually kind of cute.

 

"If I'm making him money, why would it matter?"

 

"Because you're pretty and he's not." Waverly winked.

 

After Nicole chose a shot, Tequila, Waverly lined them up. Before she knew it, she kept finding her way back to Nicole. Accepting every drink she offered. She had a beer in hand, chatting idly with the redhead.

 

"Your boyfriend is shooting daggers at you." The other bartender, Chrissy, had said lowly as she walked past Waverly. "Seriously, Waves. If looks could kill, you'd be six feet under."

 

She rolled her eyes, mumbling a small sorry to Nicole before getting back to work. Serving each customer at and that entered the bar with a happy smile spread across her face. Every now and then her and Nicole's eyes would meet, smiling flirtatiously at each other before Waverly tore her gaze away; finding Champ standing throughout the crowd.

 

"You're drinking?" He asked lowly as he walked behind the counter. "Who's she?"

 

"A friend." Waverly rolled her eyes. "Butt out."

 

"Friend?"

 

She turned around, crossing her arms in front of her. "Yeah, you jealous?"

 

Champ huffed before responding. "Just do your job."

 

After about an hour of serving a few customers, Champ left the bar. Not before stopping in the back room where Waverly knew Rosita was at. As far as she knew, the only important thing back there were the monitors for the security cameras set up around the open room. She never went back there, though. Rosita had said something about the bartenders having no business in the office areas.

 

She looked at the time, there was only a few hours left until her shift was over but she was ready to call it quits. She turned to Chrissy as she walked by. "Cover my shift, please? It's only three hours more."

 

Chrissy sighed, contemplating in her head. "Fine. But you owe me one and if you stay, you're tipping me all night."

 

Waverly smiled. "Deal."

 

She clocked out before making her way around the bar. Sitting down on the stool next to Nicole where she was chatting with someone a few stools down. Waverly waited as they talked, not wanting to interrupt.

 

After a few minutes, Nicole turned around — completely unsurprised to see Waverly sitting next to her — before smiling at her.

 

"Hey." Waverly said quietly.

 

"You're off?"

 

Waverly pointed to Chrissy serving a man at the other side of the bar. "Chrissy's covering the rest of my shift."

 

"So, you can drink." Nicole smiled.

 

"Why are you so keen on getting me drunk, huh?"

 

"Oh, no." Nicole shook her head. "Not drunk, just uncharacteristically tipsy."

 

They did drink. They drank for a while, well after Waverly's shift. Nicole bought them both beers as a chaser for the shots of Tequila they were taking.

 

"You know you're not supposed to mix alcohol, right?" Waverly grimaced at the burn from the liquor. "That's what makes you get sick."

 

Nicole shook her head, swallowing the rest of the drink and closing her eyes. "You could've told me that two minutes in."

 

Waverly laughed. "You seemed excited. I didn't wanna ruin the mood, yanno?"

 

She spotted Rosita walked through the office door just as Champ walked in through the entrance of the club. They met halfway, Champ whispering something to Rosita as he made eye contact with Waverly.

 

"Hey, remember that boyfriend I mentioned?" She quickly asked Nicole, continuing as the redhead nodded. "Well, he's on his way over here and he's kind of a douche. I'm so sorry." She grimaced.

 

Nicole barely had a second to turn around before Champ reached them. "Baby, can I speak to you for a second?" He asked.

 

Waverly could tell the gentle tone his voice held was a facade. "Is it important? I'm kinda busy."

 

"Only slightly." He turned to Nicole. "I'm Champ, her _boyfriend._ " He made sure to put emphasis on the last word.

 

Nicole wasn't phased though. Instead, she stuck out her hand and sported a fake smile. "Nicole. It's nice to finally meet you. Your girlfriend here is _amazing_ company."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes as Nicole smirked, a smile appearing on her face at the other girls antics.

 

Champ glanced at Waverly. "Drink your last drink and then go home. That's coming from your boss, not your boyfriend."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, Waverly didn't miss it. "He's an ass, why are you with him?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "No idea." She grabbed a beer from behind the bar. "Drink?"

 

Waverly stumbled into her small apartment hours later. She spotted Champs keys on the kitchen counter and rolled her eyes, not ready for the argument about to come.

 

She walked into her room, grabbing clothes from her dresser as he got up from the bed. "You're home. It's been hours."

 

Waverly shrugged, changing into her pajama pants. "I told you, I was with a friend."

 

"I don't think she's a friend, Waverly."

 

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Why is it that the moment I start hanging out with someone other than you, you're allowed to have a problem with it. But the minute I have even a little bit of doubt about someone you're with, it's suddenly like I'm not allowed to have feelings."

 

Champ sighed. "You're going to work and talking to this girl _everyday_. I'm not allowed to be jealous? Not to mention, completely ditching your job just to have drinks with her."

 

"You have such a problem with this job, yet you're the one who got it for me."

 

" _Exactly_ _._ " Champ yelled. " _I_ got it for you. Which means, _I_ can take it from you."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "I'd like to see you try. Wynonna would have my back in an instant, why are you so upset?"

 

"I don't like you being around that woman."

 

She threw her arms up in the air exasperatingly. "Why are you treating me like a child?" She yelled. "I'm tired of you bossing me around like I'm a piece of property that you own. We're done, Champ." Her voice dropping as she said each word.

 

"No." He walked towards. "No, we're not."

 

"Yeah." She sighed. "I don't want to be with you anymore. We're not working out, okay? Just go do whoever you want to do. It's over."

 

——

 

Waverly felt free as she roamed the summer streets of Calgary. It had been a while since she made it into the city, she decided the trip was long overdue. She used to come here all the time when she was still in highschool for parties. Of course, it was different back then than it is now.

 

Highschool was so simple. At the time, though, it seemed like the hardest point in her life. She'd always tell herself if she could make it through those four years, she could make it through anything. If only she knew what adulthood had in store for her.

 

Back then, it was all partying and having fun as a teenager. The only thing she had to worry about was her homework and what she was doing on the weekend. Now, there's bills, debt, questions after questions.

 

Compared to now, highschool Waverly seems like she had everything together and in order. Present Waverly had no clue what she was doing.

 

Everything _really_ was changing now. Over the course of the past two days, work had been dreadful. She'd come in, avoiding Champ as much as she possibly could, before getting ready to open. He'd made working for him hell. Asking her to do things she's never been asked to do before. Suddenly, she was on serving duty around the club. She'd spent hours running up and down the stairs to the balcony, grabbing drinks for a few people and bringing it to them. She definitely envied the women who did this every night.

 

The only bearable thing about those nights had been Nicole. She still sat in her usual spot but every time Waverly approached the bar with an order, waiting by the edge for the drink, Nicole would flash her that dimpled smile that made Waverly weak and threw out some cheesy pick-up line she had found on the internet.

 

"You're gonna run out eventually." Waverly had joked as she walked away.

 

The brunette walked the streets, dodging the groups of people walking in the opposite direction. She didn't have any real reason to be here. She just needed a day off and to herself for once.

 

Purgatory didn't have any good movie stores in town so anytime Waverly found herself in Calgary, she made sure to stop at one her favorites and browse the selection of new movies. Most of the time, she walked out with nothing. This was one of those times.

 

She didn't mind though. She appreciated the change of scenery.

 

Walking out of the store and back onto the sidewalk, she smiled. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Wynonna texted her asking where she was.

 

She pulled it out and wrote off a reply. Just as she went to slide the phone back into her pocket, she nearly fell over from the impact of another person.

 

"Waverly?"

 

She looked up, red hair occupying her line of sight. "Nicole, hi." She smiled.

 

Nicole stammered for a moment. "What are you doing in Calgary?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "Nothing really. What about you? I figured you probably didn't stay in Purgatory much but I never expected you to be the big city type."

 

Nicole laughed. "I'm here for business, actually."

 

She turned around just in time for a tall man in a dark suit walking up to them.

 

"Waverly, this is Xavier. My- uh. An ex-business partner."

 

Waverly returned the smile that the man was giving her. "It's nice to meet you." She said.

 

"You, too." He turned to Nicole, smiling. "Nicole has spoken a lot about you."

 

"Only good things, I hope." She laughed.

 

She didn't miss the blush that spread across Nicole's face. "Okay, that's enough of that." She said before pushing Dolls off into the opposite direction. "I'll see you at work."

 

He laughed and nodded as he walked away. "Sorry about that." Nicole smiled apologetically. "How are you, though? How are you handling things?"

 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow. "By things you mean the break up, right?"

 

Nicole nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I can buy you a coffee to cheer you up?"

 

The brunette laughed. "Cheering me up would have to involve me being upset, which I'm not. I'm more relieved, to be honest. It feels like I'm more free than I was when I was with him." She smiled. "Although, you could just buy me a coffee because you want to." She joked.

 

Nicole rolled her eyes playfully. "Coffee it is, then."

 

Waverly linked their arms together as they walked down the street to a coffee shop on the corner. They sat and talked for a while about anything that came to mind. Waverly loved talking with Nicole. None of it was forced, it was easy, smooth and comfortable.

 

——

 

"Okay, so tell me what's going on with you. You're acting strange." Chrissy prompted as she jumped slightly up onto the bar, sitting in front of Waverly next to the register.

 

"What do you mean?" She asked.

 

"I mean, you and Champ broke up and you're not even remotely upset. I know you didn't love the guy, but come on." She joked. "You seeing someone?"

 

"Not necessarily." She answered shortly.

 

"Waves. Come on, give me something."

 

"There is a girl." It was barely heard over the light music throughout the empty bar but Chrissy didn't miss it. "But you can't tell anyone, especially not Wynonna."

 

"It's the mysterious woman from before, isn't it? She's cute. You guys would make a cute couple." Chrissy smiled.

 

"Yeah. But I don't think she's really open to dating at the moment. We've just been flirting, it's never gone further than that." She explained.

 

Chrissy groaned. "So, make a move then, dumbass. She obviously likes you. Didn't you see the way she was looking at you the night you were drinking with her? Total crush eyes."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Shut up and help me prep the tables, please?"

 

Nicole had come into the club late that night. Something that left Waverly surprised considering she was almost always on time with her usual schedule.

 

Chrissy, ever the gossip, just _had_ to come talk to her when Waverly greeted her.

 

"Hi, I'm Chrissy." She smiled, extending her hand.

 

Nicole gave Waverly a confused look but smiled and greeted her nonetheless.

 

"You must be the cute redhead Waverly talks so much about."

 

Waverly's eyes went big, elbowing Chrissy's side.

 

Nicole laughed. "I must be, yeah."

 

"Well, she wasn't lying when she said you had a cute smile."

 

"Okay." Waverly slid in front of Chrissy, grabbing her arms and pushing her towards a few guys on the opposite end waiting for drinks. "I'm sorry." She turned back to Nicole.

 

"Seems like we're talking a lot about each other recently." She joked.

 

Waverly felt relief rush over her as Nicole didn't seem to mind anything that was said. "Apparently."


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sick for three days and I start a new job next week so let's get these updates out of the way, huh?
> 
> Maybe you guys will get lucky and get the rest of this fic throughout the next few days.

Nicole handed the vanilla folder to Lucado. "I need a background check ran."

 

Lucado didn't stand up from her desk, instead she gave Nicole a questioning look. "Wanna give me more details?"

 

"His name is Champ Hardy, club manager. Apparently, he's really close with the owner from what I've seen."

 

"Anything else?"

 

Nicole cleared her throat. Deciding whether or not she should tell her about him and Waverly. "He used to date the bartender, Waverly. They broke up a few days ago and he seemed pretty upset when he came in the next day. I need to know he's not dangerous."

 

Lucado nodded, tucking the folder under her arm. "I'll contact you if we get anything."

 

"Thank you." She said professionally.

 

"And Nicole," Lucado stopped her before she left her office. "Don't get too close to this girl. You never know who will go down for this in the end. Keep your feelings safe."

 

She wanted to tell her that Waverly's different and there's no way she could be a part of this. Nicole couldn't see bright and gleeful Waverly being a drug dealer, let alone a killer. She nodded, anyway. Walking out of the door and starting her day.

 

For the most part, she didn't have anything planned for the day. The afternoons were usually spent either reading or watching a movie if she wanted to relax. It had been a long week and she was entirely too prepared for a nap.

 

She was just about to lay down when there was a knock on her door. Sighing before getting up and opening the door. She was surprised to see Waverly standing in the hallway.

 

"Hi. Is this weird?" Waverly grimaced immediately. "I'm sorry. It's just that I have the night off and I was gonna call but I was already in the neighborhood and I remember you mentioning the apartment building you live in, this is totally stalkerish isn't it?"

 

Nicole laughed as Waverly rambled on. "No, you're fine. Come in."

 

She took a quick glance around the room, making sure nothing was laying out that would blow her cover.

 

"I'm sorry, again."

 

"It's really okay. I didn't have anything to do today anyway." She reassured. "Besides, you're always welcomed."

 

Nicole eventually got Waverly comfortable enough to stop apologizing for just randomly showing up at her door. They decided on ordering pizza, Waverly insisted on paying as long as it was vegan. Nicole didn't let her though. Most vegan places were expensive and there was no way Nicole would let Waverly pay for it knowing it was out of guilt anyway.

 

They settled into the couch. Waverly laughed as Nicole wiped at her face, completely missing the sauce Waverly had pointed out.

 

"Here." She sat her pizza down on a plate on the table, taking the napkin from Nicole and wiped the sauce gently off the corner of her lip. She paused when she caught Nicole's eyes glancing between her own and down to her lips. "All done." She said softly, just above a whisper.

 

Nicole jumped as her phone rang on the counter that separated the kitchen and living room. "I'll be right back." She smiled.

 

She quickly grabbed her phone, walking into her bedroom and shutting the door. "Haught." She answered.

 

"The background check you ordered on the manager came up clean. His record is spotless." Dolls stated through the phone. "What were your suspicions?"

 

Nicole peeked through her door, making sure Waverly wasn't too close. "He just gives me bad vibes and acts really secretive." Nicole whispered. "Thank you for updating me, I gotta go." She quickly hung up and made her way back to the living room.

 

"Everything okay?" Waverly asked. She put down her phone that once held her attention.

 

"It is now." Nicole smiled sweetly. "Okay, what do you wanna do? We can watch a movie or something."

 

They settled on watching The Wizard Of Oz. Nicole gave the brunette options but she was adamant on watching the popular movie. They settled into the couch with a glass of wine each. Nicole gave Waverly a blanket, seeing her shiver from the day turning to night, the temperature of the apartment getting cooler. Eventually, Waverly leaned into Nicole's side and threw the blanket over Nicole's legs, laughing at a joke about how cliché this moment was that Nicole had made.

 

"It would only be cliché if you liked me." Waverly joked.

 

"Oh, wouldn't you just love that."

 

The movie passed quickly, both girls sad to see it end. Waverly helped Nicole clean up the dishes and empty pizza box. Washing the glasses in the sink before putting them into the dishwasher.

 

"I should go." She stated as she leaned back against the sink.

 

Nicole leaned against the counter next to her. "You're not driving, are you?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "I mean, I did drive here."

 

Nicole shook her head. "Nope. You've been drinking, let me buy you an Uber and I can bring you your car tomorrow."

 

"You've done enough, Nicole." She laughed and shook her head. "I can't let you buy me anything else."

 

"All I did was give you food. That's just basic manners." She tried. "It's either you stay or let me get you an Uber. I promise it won't be any trouble and you won't owe me anything."

 

"Ever the gentlewoman." Waverly joked.

 

Eventually, Nicole convinced her to stay. Offering to take the couch as Waverly had the bed.

 

"No way. I'm not kicking you out of your own bed. I'll take the couch." She argued.

 

Nicole sighed. "I'm not letting you sleep on my shitty couch."

 

"Well after just hearing you admit it's uncomfortable, why would I let you sleep there." Waverly grabbed Nicole's hand and pulled her into her room. "The bed is big enough for both of us and it'll save you the trouble of your back hurting tomorrow."

 

Nicole, reluctantly, gave in. She gave Waverly an extra pair of clothes to change into before she changed into her own, climbing into bed next to the brunette after turning off the lights and locking up.

 

Waverly rolled onto her side, head on her arm while looking at Nicole. She studied the redheads features with the limited light from the street lights outside pouring through the window.

 

"Thank you for tonight." She whispered.

 

Nicole redirected her attention from the ceiling to Waverly's eyes. "It was my pleasure. Get some rest."

 

——

 

Nicole didn't see Waverly for the next two days. Her and Dolls had spent that time coming up with a plan on what to do next. It felt like she had been on this forever and was coming up empty. There was little to no evidence at the scene of the crime except for smudged a footprint from a very popular brand of unisex boots.

 

She walked into the club that night. She didn't take her usual seat at first. Instead, she stood by the entrance studying the open space. Looking up towards the balcony after canvassing the floor. Waverly was stood by the railing, entranced in what looked like a heated conversation between her and Champ.

 

She must've said something he didn't like because after a few minutes, he was stomping off down the steps. Stopping a few feet away from Nicole and whispering something incoherent to the club owner — Rosita, Nicole had remembered.

 

She thought she heard something about the basement but couldn't quite make out anything else that was being said.

 

Nicole averted her attention as Rosita and Champ stomped past her quickly. Waverly made her way down the stairs, groaning loudly as she walked behind the bar.

 

"You okay?" Nicole approached her.

 

"Never date your co-workers." She paused. "You know what, never take jobs from your significant other actually. It freakin' sucks."

 

"That bad, huh?"

 

She watched as Waverly's eyes redirected to something behind her. Turning around and seeing Champ walking towards them.

 

"Why is it you only come in here and talk with _my_ girlfriend?" He stated flatly.

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Last time I checked, you guys broke up. She's not owned by you either, she can talk to whoever she wants."

 

"You've come in here and done nothing but sat at this bar every single time. What's your deal?" He raised his voice.

 

"What's _your_ deal?" Nicole crossed her arms, stepping closer to Champ.

 

Waverly walked from behind the bar and positioned herself between them. "Not the time, Champ."

 

He huffed loudly. "You're sticking up for some girl you barely even know? You're being ridiculous."

 

Waverly sighed. "Leave it alone." She bit out.

 

"Stay out of it, Waverly." He practically yelled.

 

"What's going on?" Wynonna butt in. "You guys are disturbing customers."

 

"Your _sister_ seems to think I can't fire her."

 

Wynonna gave him and incredulous look. "You _can't._ " She corrected him.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Can we drop this, please?"

 

"She started it." He pointed at Nicole.

 

The redhead raised her eyebrows. "Me?" She questioned. "You came over here starting trouble for no reason."

 

"Enough!" Wynonna yelled. "Take it outside or get back to work." She stared at Champ.

 

"Something's going on between them." He gestured between Waverly and Nicole. "She's been acting weird ever since she showed up and no one has questions about it? Who is this girl, anyway? Does anyone actually even know her?"

 

Wynonna took Waverly's spot, stepping between them and walking towards him, forcing him to take a couple steps back. "I said enough. Leave my sister alone and stop causing a scene or you're fired."

 

Wynonna stood her ground, arms crossed in front of her, until he walked away. Turning to Waverly and telling her to get back to work.

 

She helped out behind the counter for a bit, making sure the situation had settled down before she stopped in front of Nicole, engrossed in the faux paper work she pulled out every night.

 

"You wanna tell me why my sister's ex has such a problem with you?" She insisted.

 

"Maybe he's jealous." She answered shortly.

 

Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Hard not to be. But is there something to be jealous of?"

 

Nicole quirked an eyebrow, taking a drink of her water. "I don't think you should be asking me that. Sounds like something personal to Waverly."

 

"Well, that just implies that there is."

 

"No." Nicole corrected. "No, it didn't."

 

"Relax." Wynonna smiled. "I'm not gonna say anything about your not so subtle crush on my sister."

 

Nicole cursed the way her heart fluttered and her cheeks got red. "I don't have a cru-" She was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing in her pocket. "Excuse me."

 

She stood up from the stool, moving to the back hallway of the bar. The perfect opportunity and cover story is always a phone call.

 

"Yeah?" She answered the phone.

 

"Hey." Dolls answered. "Remember that background check you had us run on Champ?"

 

When Nicole hummed an agreement he continued. "Well it might not be as clean as we thought."

 

"What?"

 

"We found a partial print that the examiners missed at the scene. There's a possibility that it might be Champ's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, come on how obvious was that?


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while.

After a long weekend of being off, Waverly was happy to be back at work. Things had seemed to dial down a bit. She'd barely seen Champ since she arrived four hours ago. He'd been in and out of the bar in a hurry ever since she came in, something questionable but she was also grateful for it.

 

Nicole arrived about an hour after her shift had started, talking to Chrissy amicably before saying her hello's to Waverly and sitting down in her usual spot. There wasn't any drama tonight. There were nice and easygoing customers, a few of the local guys here and there would come up and try to talk with Waverly. Offering to buy her a drink, which she accepted as part of her job. Ever since people found out Champ was no longer in the picture, they'd been confident on getting a chance to talk to the girl.

 

Waverly didn't mind the attention, though. She knew they were just mostly drunk mechanics from the body shop down the street, they didn't mean any harm and they were on the small list of her favorite customers since she's started working here. Every now and then she would glance over at Nicole, catching her eyes from across the bar.

 

For the past few days they haven't talked, which wasn't that weird, considering. But then Nicole had walked in with her memorable, confident stride across the room. Something was off, though. Waverly almost didn't notice it until Nicole started being short with her. Barely talking to her before turning her attention back to her work.

 

"So, I never asked." Waverly started, leaning her head into her hands. "Why do you come into a crowded, noisy club and do your work? Why not some place more quiet?"

 

Nicole shrugged lightly. "Have I mentioned the company?"

 

Waverly smirked. "Oh, so I'm the only thing keeping you around?"

 

"Apparently so." She joked.

 

Waverly watched as she turned back to her work. She sighed before letting out a deep breath. "You've been really secretive lately and don't get me wrong, I'm not a stranger to secrets around here but it's weird even for you."

 

Nicole looked up at her, question spread across her face. "What do you mean?"

 

"You're not talking, you okay?"

 

She nodded her head. "I'm fine. Just thinking about some stuff."

 

"Some stuff, meaning?"

 

Nicole smiled. "I can't tell you that."

 

Waverly snorted, standing up straight. "What, you got a secret wife or something you're not telling me about?"

 

"Nope. Not anymore." She smiled tight lipped, clasping her hands on top of the bar.

 

Waverly was quick to reply. "I'm sorry. I didn't know, I was just joking and obviously it was the wrong ti-"

 

Nicole laughed. "Relax, Waverly. It's fine." She paused. "We were engaged and then we broke it off. Work got in the way, mostly. But we had a few problems we couldn't get past. We're fine now and we're still distant friends, everything that happened is old news and there's not really any grudges being held."

 

Waverly smiled sweetly. "You didn't have to tell me, you know?"

 

"Maybe, I wanted to." She shrugged. "Can I ask a question?"

 

Waverly nodded.

 

"I know I asked before but I really don't understand the whole Champ thing. I mean, he's the biggest asshole I've met in years and that's saying a lot."

 

The brunette laughed lightly, nodding in agreement. "At first it was just for fun. We started dating the summer after highschool ended, I was doing classes online and he was working here as a bartender. At the time, he was sweet. Then after a while, I don't know. He just-" She paused. "He turned into a completely different person than I knew. Once he got me this job, I felt like I couldn't leave him — like everyone would think I just used him or something."

 

Nicole gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Waverly. That sounds horrible."

 

She shrugged one shoulder. "It's fine. I put up with what I could handle and when it became too much, I ended it. Everyone goes through questionable relationships at least once."

 

Waverly could tell Nicole wanted to ask more but didn't want to push. She let it slide though, deciding not to say anything and let her get back to work. She served a few customers here and there, cleaning up spilled drinks and trash left over from people that left.

 

Nicole went back to her regular flirtatious act. Joking and flirting playfully anytime Waverly poured her a drink or came around to her side of the bar. Waverly looked forward to nights like these, easy conversation and laughter. It made her heart swell, she couldn't stay away from the redhead.

 

_Snap out of it,_ _Waverly._ She told herself. _You don't even understand what's happening with yourself, you shouldn't rush into anything._

 

But God, did she want to. Every smirk, every dimpled smile, every playful wink or touch of their hands made Waverly want to dive in head first.

 

"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Nicole asked as Waverly wiped down the bar.

 

Everyone started clearing out around four in the morning, deciding they'd stayed long enough and their night off was over until tomorrow. Nicole stayed late, though. Watching as Waverly and a few other workers cleaned up.

 

"Are you asking this because I've been drinking?" She challenged.

 

Nicole rounded the bar to where Waverly stood with a broom, cleaning up a pile of trash and dirt that got dragged in.

 

"Drinking and driving is dangerous and you could get into a lot of trouble because of it."

 

Waverly snorted. "You sound like a cop."

 

"Or someone that just wants to keep you safe." Nicole tried.

 

Waverly agreed to the ride home. She was enjoying Nicole's company and any minute more she could get was definitely welcomed. When she climbed into Nicole's car, she suddenly became very aware that this was only the second time they'd been alone together.

 

Getting coffee in a shop full of people or drinking at a club crowded with bodies wasn't necessarily _alone._ The last time she was truly alone with her was when she stayed at Nicole's house.

 

She woke up that morning to Nicole sleepily making coffee in the kitchen. Handing Waverly a mug that was taken eagerly. Turns out, Nicole was _terrible_ at making coffee and it definitely showed on Waverly's face.

 

"You're quiet." Nicole interrupted her thoughts, pulling out onto a main road.

 

"I'm just thinking about some stuff." She repeated Nicole's words from earlier.

 

The redhead laughed. "Wanna talk about it?"

 

"I'll definitely take you up on that offer another day." She smiled.

 

They pulled up to Waverly's apartment building within the hour. She didn't live too far from the club but Waverly made Nicole take a detour, showing her some spots around the city that she favored.

 

Nicole pulled into a parking space on the road and got out of the car, following Waverly to the door.

 

"Look at that," Waverly joked. "I got home safely. Thank you."

 

Nicole shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The air wasn't freezing but it was one of _those_ summer nights where the breeze was cold against their skin, creating goosebumps.

 

"It was my pleasure." She smiled.

 

Waverly shifted from one foot to the other. She wanted to lean in, for a kiss or a hug, anything. It didn't matter. She wanted more time, more contact, with the taller woman.

 

"You can come in." She stated shyly.

 

Nicole smiled and tilted her head to the side. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

 

"Probably not." Waverly agreed. "I'll see you around?"

 

Nicole stepped closer to her, shortening the distance between them. Waverly didn't miss the look on her face or the way her lips parted gently as she looked into Waverly's eyes, switching her attention to her lips every now and then.

 

"Yeah." She whispered.

 

As Nicole leaned in, stopping halfway to give Waverly a chance to stop her, the brunette felt everything in her screaming — yelling at her to just lean in and kiss her.

 

She almost did, until her phone erupted with sound and the moment was completely lost.

 

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "It's Wynonna." Waverly looked down at the phone as her sister's name flashed across the screen. "Let's do something tomorrow?" She suggested. "It'll be my treat. I'll show you all the cool spots I didn't have the chance to show you tonight."

 

Nicole smiled. "Okay. What time?"

 

"Do you work?"

 

Nicole shook her head.

 

"How about, around three, three thirty?"

 

Nicole agreed to the plan, saying her goodbyes and driving away. As soon as Waverly got into the building she dialed her sisters number.

 

"You have horrible timing." She said when Wynonna answered the phone.

 

"Okay, I'm sorry." Wynonna started. "But I _need_ to tell you this or I'll literally combust."

 

Waverly chuckled. "What's going on?"

 

"I left my wallet at the club so I went back to get it and while I was there I overheard Champ and Rosita talking." She paused. "Champ mentioned Mercedes, Waverly. I think he knows where she is."

 

"Champ? Why would Champ know?"

 

"Think about it," Wynonna tried. "Him and Rosita start acting weird right when Mercedes goes missing and now I catch them talking about her after hours? There's gotta be something there, right?"

 

"Have you been drinking?" Waverly asked.

 

"No. Waverly, I'm serious."

 

"I believe you're serious but I can't see Champ and Rosita hiding something all this time. For all we know, Mercedes just ran off with some rando from the bar. We can't jump to conclusions."

 

"But-"

 

"Go to sleep, Wynonna. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you." She quickly hung up just as she walked into her apartment.

 

——

 

The next day Waverly was up bright an early, getting ready for the day. It was only eleven by the time she was ready and she had absolutely nothing to do. Her days were boring and mostly consisted of sleeping all day but ever since last night, she couldn't sleep. She was full of energy and excitement for later.

 

She picked her phone up, checking a text from Nicole.

 

Nicole (11:48am): please give me an idea on what i should wear

 

Waverly smiled as she typed out her own message.

 

Waverly (11:52am): wear whatever makes you comfortable, duh

 

She did everything she could to pass the time. Once she left about thirty minutes early, she decided to stop and grab coffee for the two of them so she wasn't showing up at Nicole's door extra early.

 

Waverly pulled up to the building at three on the dot, grabbing the coffees and making her way towards the building. Nicole was heading down the stairs as Waverly walked through the door, smiling at each other.

 

"You're punctual." Nicole commented, happily accepting the added source of caffeine.

 

"I've been ready since noon, okay? I was bored."

 

"Uh huh." Nicole joked. "Where to?"

 

The car ride wasn't long at all. Waverly drove to a small abandoned park in the corner of town covered by trees. There was a small parking lot just beside the treeline, a narrow dirt path leading through the woods.

 

Nicole quirked an eyebrow. "You're not gonna murder me, are you?"

 

"In broad daylight?" Waverly joked. "Definitely not."

 

They got out of the jeep, Waverly taking Nicole's hand and dragging her into the woods. It was a short walk before they came to an opening. The park was tiny, only a few things placed throughout the small space but to Nicole, it was beautiful.

 

"I used to come here a lot as a kid before it got closed down. Eventually, people just stopped coming so no one bothered to keep up with it. Once the trees starting growing, it became another forgotten place in Purgatory." Waverly explained.

 

"That's so sad." Nicole commented. "You always see abandoned places around small towns but you never get a story behind it. It's crazy to know that somewhere you once spent your time is now just another memory."

 

Waverly squeezed her hand, agreeing with a small hum. They sat for a while, Waverly telling her stories from her childhood. She told her how she got a scar on her arm from some kid pushing her off the monkey bars. At the time, that was the biggest thing happening in Waverly's life. Now, it all seems so small in comparison.

 

After an hour, they decided to move on. It was around dinner time for the local crowd so Waverly suggested they could eat before she had to go to work at nine.

 

She took Nicole to a small diner that not too many people spent their time. "The foods kinda crappy but I like the atmosphere." She explained.

 

They occupied a small booth in the corner, the waitress coming up to them every now and then and refilling their drinks.

 

"I hope you had fun." Waverly said. "I know we didn't get to see much but there's just so much and so many stories I could tell you."

 

Nicole smiled brightly. "I look forward to hearing them all some day."

 

Waverly could see the redhead hesitate, like she was hiding some big secret dying to get out. She didn't push, she wouldn't. If Nicole wanted to tell her anything, she would do it willingly and without pressure.

 

They finished their food, Waverly insisting she pay since it was her idea about today. Nicole, reluctantly, let her.

 

They walked around the streets of Purgatory. There was still about an hour and a half before Waverly had to be at work and the streets were near empty. The regular party crowd didn't come out until well past ten so the walk was pretty quiet.

 

"I had fun tonight." Nicole smiled. "Thank you for telling me all of that."

 

"I had fun, too. Do you want me to drive you home?"

 

Nicole accepted the offer. The car ride was longer than usual since they were on the other side of town and Waverly desperately wanted to spent more time with her.

 

Waverly smiled as Nicole hummed off key to a classic rock song playing on the radio. She slowly pulled up to Nicole's building, putting the Jeep in park and cutting the engine.

 

"Are you coming into the bar today?" Waverly asked quietly.

 

Nicole nodded. "More than likely." She laughed.

 

"I'll see you in a few hours then."

 

Butterflies grew in Waverly stomach as she looked into Nicole's eyes. Her mind instantly flashing to the night before. All she had to do was lean in until Wynonna called with her _impeccable_ timing.

 

Nicole paused as Waverly leaned in, moving slightly closer. She leaned in, meeting her halfway.

 

The minute their lips connected Waverly brought her hand down to Nicole's, interlocking their fingers. The kiss was gentle, it was sweet and not rushed.

 

Nicole tightened her grip on Waverly's hand before pulling away. "We really shouldn't." She breathed.

 

Waverly took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I- I shouldn't have."

 

"Waverly, calm down." Nicole smiled. "I wanted to kiss you as much as you wanted to kiss me but I just," She detached her hand from Waverly's, running it through her short hair. "I can't, I'm sorry."

  
  


Nicole didn't come into the club that night, or the night after, or that night after _that._ If Waverly said it didn't bother her, she'd be lying. She knew, somewhere deep down, it wasn't her fault and she didn't have to put the blame on herself. Nicole could be busy and it didn't have to be because they kissed.

 

But every time someone walked through the doors, or up to the bar, anything; Waverly would turn around hoping it would be her.

 

"What's going on?" Wynonna leaned over the bar. "I'm getting complaints from the other bartenders."

 

Waverly shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine."

 

Wynonna stared at her. "Waverly."

 

Waverly sighed, putting down the hand towel and telling Chrissy to take over before pulling Wynonna into _the_ back hallway.

 

"We're not supposed to be back here." Wynonna had mumbled.

 

"I kissed Nicole, or-" She paused. "She kissed me? I don't know, we kissed."

 

Wynonna's eyes went big. "You, what!?"

 

"We kissed." Waverly stated.

 

"Did you want to?"

 

"Yes, Wynonna." She sighed. "I mean, I- I like her."

 

Wynonna smiled brightly. "You have a crush on the _girl_ that Champ was jealous of. Oh my god, that's perfect."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Wynonna, I'm serious. We've been kind of hanging out and I mean, she kissed me back but she hadn't been here in a while and she usually comes in every night. I think did something wrong."

 

"Maybe she has to work." Wynonna tried. "Come on. You said she kissed you, too."

 

"I know, I'm just- I guess I'm just confused. I don't think I've ever liked a girl and I don't know, I want her to like me back but a small part of me doesn't. Too much is changing." She mumbled the last part.

 

Wynonna gave Waverly a sympathetic look. "Waves, it's okay to be confused about this."

 

"I've never liked anyone but guys before."

 

" _Before._ " Wynonna pointed out. She sighed before starting, "Sometimes it just takes one person, you know? You could go your whole life thinking this or that but one day it just hits you that something's different. You don't have to find a reason why, it's just who you are. Take time and think about this, come to terms with it. You're not gonna just deal with it overnight. You have a crush on a girl!" She laughed.

 

"You're horrible at giving advice."

 

"Yeah, I know." They both laughed. "Hey, for what's it worth. I totally ship it."

* * *

 


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's another half to this chapter, just wait patiently. work is kicking my ass.

"Just plant the bug. That's all you have to do." Dolls informed her.

 

Nicole had been nervous. This was the dangerous part of any operation. Staying undercover for more than a week alone was always unsettling to Nicole but planting bugs was a whole different feeling.

 

In her head, her plan was perfect. She'd walk in and approach Waverly near the cash register, planting the bug underneath the counter in a small corner. That _had_ been her plan.

 

Until she walked into the club and Waverly flashed her that bright, perfect smile and Nicole _almost_ forgot what she was doing.

 

"You're here." Waverly said, excitement evident in her voice.

 

Nicole smiled. "I am. How's it going?" She glanced around the club.

 

"It's slow right now but I have no doubt it'll pick up in a couple hours."

 

Waverly was right. Eventually, the crowd came flowing in off the street. Nicole went about her usual routine of discreetly taking in the faces as they entered through the door. A few people she recognized as regulars, a few that would be in and out of the back room.

 

"I have to use the restroom, I'll be back." Nicole said to Waverly.

 

They had been talking for a while as Waverly was on break. Both of them danced around the subject they knew should probably be talked about but, neither of them wanted to ruin anything.

 

Nicole walked back towards where the bathrooms were located, she looked around and made sure she didn't have anyone's attention before taking a detour to the short hallway.

 

Pulling a small bug from her pocket and closing her hand around it, hiding it from any lingering eyes.

 

Slowly, she made her way down the hallway. A few people that _definitely_ looked underage drunkenly stumbled past her in the opposite direction. They didn't even seem to notice her.

 

She peered around the corner. There was a small door located at the end of another hallway. As the door opened, she pulled back and leaned against the wall, slipping the bug into a small vent near her feet.

 

Quickly, she made her way back to where Waverly sat at the bar. Her heart was racing and fingers shaking, she slipped her hands into her pockets to hide her uneasiness as she sat down next to Waverly.

 

"Are you okay?" Waverly asked after a few minutes of silence. "You've been acting kind of weird and if it was the kiss, I'm really _really_ sorry if I overstepped."

 

Nicole shook her head, taking a big gulp of her drink. "It's not the kiss, I promise. There's just a lot going on right now."

 

Waverly nodded, still unsure of what to say. "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She sighed. "I _do_ like you, I just think we should take things slower than they have been."

 

"Which, is pretty slow." Waverly joked.

 

Nicole laughed. "Friends?"

 

Waverly nodded in agreement, despite the flash of hurt Nicole caught in her eyes.

 

Nicole couldn't hurt her. If they ended up _anything,_ she'd be doing just that. Starting relationships while undercover was dangerous and Nicole prided herself on that. Never once has she been compromised because of something like that. She couldn't hurt herself and she most definitely couldn't do that to Waverly. Once she found out who Nicole was, it would only hurt her more than if they just stopped whatever it was that was happening before it actually happens.

 

Which is why Nicole should've been happy when Dolls said they needed to wrap things up when Nicole came into work the next morning.

 

"Lucado is on my ass about this, Nicole. We need something now or we have to pull you out. We're wasting resources and the boss of my boss is growing tired of waiting. I'm sorry."

 

Nicole instantly felt the anger boiled up inside of her. "I just planted bugs, you're telling me we've got nothing off of that?"

 

Dolls shook his head. "We have analysts trying to find something but so far, we've got nothing."

 

"This is bullshit." Nicole mumbled, trying to keep her cool. "Someone was murdered, Xavier. You're not pulling me out."

 

"Nicole-"

 

"No." She stopped him. "Do you realize what could happen if we don't catch this guy? Someone else at that club could get hurt. Someone else could go missing and what will we do, then? The same thing all over again?"

 

Dolls sighed. "We need evidence before the end of this week or it's another cold case. We don't have any other choice, it's not up to me."

 

Sure, it was _just_ an undercover operation. But Nicole grew attached to the people there. She had friendships and she cared about Waverly and Chrissy, even Wynonna for that matter. Those three girls had no idea what was going on around them and as far as anyone knows, it could've been one of them that got hurt.

 

Nicole stormed into the familiar space, immediately ordering a drink from Waverly. Shots of Tequila, per usual. She downed the small amount of liquid, one after the other.

 

Waverly put her hand on Nicole's to stop her from pouring another drink.

 

"Talk to me." She said softly.

 

"Work is shit." She took another shot, grimacing at the burn at the back of throat. "Work is shit and I _hate_ it."

 

Waverly attempted to get her to drink some water, each time Nicole declined, Waverly only grew more worried.

 

"At least let me drive you home." She offered after trying everything she could.

 

"You have to work." Nicole shook her head.

 

"And you need to get home safe. I can have Chrissy cover me." Waverly glanced at Chrissy a few feet away, sporting an apologetic look. Chrissy waved her off, mouthing _it's fine._

 

Waverly helped Nicole to her car. The redhead sighed when the fresh air hit her lungs.

 

"I'm sorry. I really can take care of myself."

 

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" Waverly kept her hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road.

 

Nicole shrugged. "I'm losing a case at work, that's all."

 

"And it's got you that upset that you need to drown yourself in alcohol?"

 

"It involves people I care about." She said softly, never taking her gaze off of Waverly.

 

"Isn't that like a conflict of interest, though?"

 

Nicole sighed. "It sure is." _You have no idea._

 

"Do you want me to walk you in?" Waverly asked as she pulled up to Nicole's building.

 

Nicole had been so distracted by her thoughts, she hadn't realized how much time had past. She hesitated at first before telling Waverly yes. _It's just a walk to the door, s_ he told herself. It was, until Nicole invited Waverly in and they were maybe too close in Nicole's bed watching old chick-flicks.

 

Waverly scooted closer to Nicole, leaning her head on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, they didn't talk. Nicole enjoyed being with Waverly, even if it was just for a few minutes. Any silence was comfortable and she didn't feel like she had to lie to her, even if she technically was.

 

Her heart broke a little when she realized how attached she had actually grown to the smaller girl. In a matter of just a few days, she wouldn't be able to just walk into a dirty, crowded, sweaty club and talk to her anymore. Once the case was over, it was over. All of it, every single part.

 

She felt Waverly tighten her arm around her waist. "You're thinking too loud, I can't watch the movie." She mumbled.

 

Nicole chuckled. "I'm sorry."

 

"Why do I feel like there's more to you than you let on?" Waverly lifted her head a bit, facing Nicole.

 

"I don't know, you tell me." Nicole deflected.

 

"You have walls, Nicole. Very, very high walls and one day, when those walls come down. I'm gonna be there, I promise."

 

_If only you knew you were making a broken_ _promise,_ Nicole thought.

 

The next day, Nicole didn't go into the club. She decided on her own that she was taking a day off. Probably not a smart choice since they only had limited time to get whatever evidence they could gather but she didn't care.

 

She listened again and again to whatever tapes were recorded from the bugs planted around the open area.

 

Every time, every _single_ time, she came up with nothing. Her anger only grew stronger the more empty handed she realized they were. They had very little to work with, nothing that would hold up in court. There was no substantial evidence.

 

She didn't see Waverly until the next day when she showed up at Nicole's door, practically knocking her down when she quickly walked past Nicole and into the apartment.

 

"I'm here to destress you." She smiled.

 

"What?" Nicole quirked an eyebrow.

 

Waverly sighed before walking over to Nicole and grabbing her hands. "You're obviously stressed about work and whatever's happening that you can't seem to talk about, so I'm here to make you less... stressed?" She tried.

 

Nicole laughed. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

 

Waverly's face lit up. "You'll see. Get dressed, wear something comfy."

 

Nicole glanced down at her t-shirt and sweatpants as she walked towards her bedroom. "I am comfy." She mumbled.

 

"I heard that." Waverly yelled playfully.

 

——

 

Nicole groaned and complained when Waverly suggested they walked into town. It was only a few blocks until they started to reach the edge of the middle of town but it was hardly even noon yet and Nicole was tired.

 

Once Waverly grabbed her hand, though. All of that changed. Every complaint she once had left her mind. Waverly skipped along the street with a contagious smile on her face, it didn't matter that it was almost ninety degrees outside already, she was completely content.

 

"You're gonna have so much fun." She had said.

 

Waverly went on to explain that they had several things to do that she planned. She radiated complete and utter happiness that rubbed off on Nicole. It was hard to be in a bad mood when you're around someone like Waverly.

 

They stopped outside of a frozen yogurt shop. It was small and looked almost brand new compared to every other building in Purgatory.

 

"They put this in a few months ago and I've wanted to go here so badly because they're one of the few places that have vegan options. I thought it would be fun to try, even if you hate most vegan foods."

 

Nicole gasped playfully. "I'll have you know, I don't _hate_ them."

 

Waverly laughed. "Yeah, okay."

 

They got into the small line on the inside of the store and waited patiently. Placing their orders, waiting to be called.

 

Once they got the smalls cups of yogurt, they settled into a bench outside. They talked for a bit about basically nothing. Waverly mentioned a few restaurants that she wishes Purgatory had that Calgary did — part of the reason she would travel into the city — Nicole had listened intently.

 

Nicole was thankful for the added distraction but it still didn't ease her mind. She had a million questions she needed answered before the case came to a close.

 

"Okay." Waverly started, a small skip in her step. "I promise, if your mood isn't already boosted. It's going to be."

 

They walked for a few minutes before stopping outside of a building. Nicole followed Waverly's line of sign to the big sign on the front of the building.

 

"We're at the pet store?" Nicole quirked an eyebrow.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes playfully. "You don't have to _get_ a pet. They have puppies, you can see the puppies." She said excitedly.

 

Nicole followed her through the building, speaking to one of the workers about seeing the puppies. He brought them to a small room towards the edge of the building.

 

After a few minutes he brought two puppies that Waverly and Nicole picked out.

 

Waverly was way more excited than Nicole and if she didn't know how good of a person Waverly is, she'd think she was doing this for herself. Nicole laughed as the small dog ran up to the brunette, jumping in her lap.

 

"You can't tell me this isn't making you at least a little more happy." She challenged.

 

Nicole smiled, full of dimples. "It is. Thank you."

 

For a while, they played with the different puppies. Nicole was genuinely happy and her heart grew more and more each time Waverly smiled at her.

 

_What am I getting myself into?_ She thought.

 

The more time passed, Nicole realized she didn't care. If she was going to have something, anything, with Waverly; she didn't care about the consequences.

 

Which is why, when Waverly leaned in slightly, Nicole kissed her. Despite her words from before, despite asking to be friends, she kissed her with every emotion that she felt towards the smaller girl.

 

Waverly kissed her back gently. The kiss was short and sweet and the smile that the brunette held afterwards sent butterflies from Nicole's stomach and up to her heart.

 

"We should do that more often." Waverly mumbled. "But you know, as friends."

 

"Oh, right." Nicole laughed. "Of course."

 

They spent another hour seeing all the animals they could. Waverly pointed out the fact that she _really_ wanted a cat but wasn't allowed to have one in her building. Nicole had said something about sneaking one in without anyone noticing. They laughed about it for a while, thinking of all the ways they could get a cat into Waverly's apartment without anyone noticing.

 

After that, they got coffee from one of the local coffee shops. They spent the entire day parading around the streets of Purgatory, Waverly telling stories about certain places just like she had before.

 

Nicole loved listening to her talk. The way you could hear the excitement and love in her voice when she told stories from her childhood. She could talk the entire time and Nicole would never get bored, never complain and never get enough.

 

Eventually though, Waverly decided she would walk Nicole _all_ the way back to her house.

 

"My Jeep is there and I would never let you walk alone. It's almost dark." Waverly explained.

 

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." Nicole laughed. "Why can't we take an Uber?"

 

"We're saving the planet, Nicole. Don't be such a Debbie Downer."

 

Nicole gasped. "I am not being a Debbie Downer." She put her hand over her heart in mock hurt.

 

Waverly laughed, grabbing Nicole's hand and pulling it down to her side, interlacing their fingers. They walked like that the entire way back to Nicole's building, stopping outside near Waverly's Jeep.

 

"I hope you had fun and I hope you're at least a little bit more happy than you were this morning." Waverly said, turning towards the redhead.

 

"Only a little bit." Nicole joked. "Thank you, Waverly. I mean it."

 

Waverly leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on Nicole's lips before pulling back. Everything in Nicole was screaming at her telling her to walk away and just go inside but she pushed all of that down and ignored it, despite knowing she shouldn't.

 

She placed her hands gently on Waverly's waist, stopping before doing anything else. Waverly's eyes danced back and forth between Nicole's eyes and lips, something that didn't go unnoticed to the redhead.

 

They both leaned in, their lips meeting in a careful kiss. Nicole tightened her arms around Waverly's waist as the shorter girl brought her hand up and entangled her fingers in Nicole's hair, pulling her impossibly closer.

 

The kiss quickly heated up. Nicole pressed Waverly back against the side of her Jeep, running her tongue lightly over her bottom lip.

 

"You should come in." Nicole mumbled as she pulled away.

 

Waverly smiled slightly. "Aren't you the one that suggested we should just be friends the other day?"

 

"We don't have to do anything, you could just come in."

 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow, pulling Nicole down so they were only inches apart. "What if I want to do something?"

 

That's how they found themselves outside Nicole's apartment, Waverly's lips attached to her neck as she fumbled with her keys, trying to unlock the door.

 

They didn't waste any time getting to Nicole's bedroom, hands and lips roaming wherever they could reach. Nicole slid her fingers under Waverly's shirt, tugging gently. Once she received a nod from Waverly, she pulled the piece of clothing up over her head, reconnecting their lips as her fingers carved out every inch of Waverly's abs.

 

Waverly unbuttoned Nicole's shirt one by one, never breaking contact with the redhead. She slid the shirt hastily off of Nicole's shoulders, pulling her closer by her hips.

 

Nicole pulled back slightly. "Waverly." She breathed. "We should talk."

 

Waverly stopped, staring into Nicole's eyes as she gathered her breath. "Are you gonna tell me we shouldn't do this for the hundredth time?"

 

"Well-" Nicole paused. "No."

 

The brunette smiled. "Then, no offense, I _really_ don't care at the moment."

 

Nicole laughed. A small part of her was relieved that she didn't have to tell Waverly anything — yet, at least. She knew, eventually, the truth would come out and all of this would be over.

 

When Waverly's fingers trailed from her shoulders down to her chest, every coherent thought left her head.

 

Immediately connecting their lips, Nicole's hands went to the wasitband of Waverly's jeans. Popping the button and helping the small girl kick them off. Nicole discarded her own pants before grabbing Waverly's hips and pulling her closer, causing the small girl to yelp in surprise. Waverly wrapped her arms loosely around Nicole's shoulders, initiating a slow but meaningful kiss.

 

Every touch, every kiss, every moan, it was like sensory overload for Nicole but she couldn't get enough of it. Any part of Waverly that she could touch, she did.

 

Nicole slipped her leg in between Waverly's as they lay down on the bed, bodies connecting in all the right places.

 

Waverly moaned as her hips raised to the added friction, tightening her grip in Nicole's hair. The redhead trailed her fingers down Waverly's stomach, stopping just above where she wanted her most.

 

She gave Waverly a questioning look before continuing.

 

"Yes." Waverly nodded, knowing exactly what Nicole was waiting for.

 

Nicole quickly reached around and unclasped Waverly's bra, wasting no time placing open mouth kisses across the brunettes chest. Circling her tongue lightly against her nipple, paying the opposite side the same amount of attention before trailing short kisses down her stomach, licking and nipping lightly.

 

Waverly raised her hips as Nicole hooked her fingers through the lace underwear and slowly pushed them down her legs, placing light kisses down her thighs. The smell of all things Waverly filling her senses.

 

She sat up, pulling off her sports bra. Sensing Waverly's nerves, she grabbed her hand, intertwined their fingers and kissed her softly.

 

"You are _so_ beautiful." Nicole pushed a few loose strands of hair behind Waverly's ear.

 

Waverly smiled brightly, breathing out a laugh. "Is that because I'm naked?"

 

Nicole shook her head. "No. You're beautiful with clothes on, too." She joked.

 

Waverly kissed her slowly and full of passion, wrapping one leg around Nicole's waist as she grinded down on her thigh, moaning loudly.

 

Nicole took the hint, sliding her hand down Waverly's body between them. Replacing her leg with her fingers.

 

Waverly broke the kiss, her face twisted in pleasure as Nicole slid one finger inside. Giving her time to adjust before slipping in another, twisting slightly as she bit down gently on Waverly's shoulder, soothing the mark with her tongue.

 

It didn't take long for Waverly to reach her climax. Tightening her grip on Nicole's shoulders, nails digging into the pale skin below as Nicole pushed her over the edge. Nicole helped her ride out her orgasm, stopping after she made sure Waverly was finished.

 

"That was amazing." Waverly breathed out, eyes still closed, as Nicole plopped down next to her.

 

The redhead smiled as she watched the brunette contently.

 

Waverly rolled over, wrapping her arm loosely around Nicole's waist. "Give me two minutes." She mumbled.

 

Nicole laughed. "Take your time."

 


	6. V 1/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be uploaded later tonight, hopefully. I think there's two more chapters so I changed the number (:

The next day, Nicole woke up sore in all the right places. Memories of the night before flashing behind her eyes.

 

Teeth and tongue clashing together, Waverly's fingers in her hair as she licked down Nicole's neck and across her collarbone. If Waverly was inexperienced, it didn't show at all.

 

Nicole smiled sweetly as Waverly stirred next to her, rolling over in the redheads arms.

 

"Morning." She mumbled sleepily, never opening her eyes.

 

"Good morning." Nicole laughed lightly. "How are you feeling?"

 

Waverly pushed impossibly closer into Nicole's side. "Tired."

 

They fell back asleep after that, wrapped up in each other contently. Nicole woke up in bed alone, the satisfying smell of coffee wafting through the apartment. She smiled to herself as she crawled out of bed and made her way into the kitchen.

 

"Noooo." Waverly pouted defeatedly when she noticed Nicole leaning against the doorway. "I was gonna bring you coffee in bed."

 

Nicole chuckled, walking towards the shorter girl and wrapping her arms around her waist. "We can always go back to bed." She smirked.

 

"Nice try." Waverly laughed, kissing Nicole quickly. She made sure not to get too caught up in anything. "I have things to do before work tonight. I really can't stay too much longer."

 

Nicole stuck out her bottom lip. "I'll see you later, then?"

 

"Of course." Waverly smiled, kissing her again.

  
  
  


They didn't see each other later. Nicole got caught up in another case at work that wasn't _technically_ hers. It was her partners but Nicole was dedicated to her job and she was adamant on helping Doc at least a little bit.

 

Until a little bit turned into all night and she almost forgot she had her own case to work on. By the time she realized, the club was closed and it was too late to stop by anyway.

 

The next morning, she gathered into the conference room that was starting to feel like a prison cell to her. Every time she sat in the cold, black leather chairs, she was presented with bad news from either Dolls or Lucado.

 

_Hopefully today will be different_ _._

 

"We're doing the bust tomorrow night." Lucado walked into the room, the same confident stride and manilla folder in her arms.

 

"We're what?" Nicole quirked an eyebrow. "With what grounds?"

 

"The partial print from the scene? It came back as Champ Hardy's. That's all we need to go in, arrest him and search the place."

 

"The print came back as Champ's and no one bothered to tell me? When did this happen?" Nicole was fuming. She tightened her gripped on the arm of the chair in attempt to keep cool.

 

"You're being told now." Lucado glared. "End of discussion. Be ready tomorrow. Dolls will call you with details."

 

And then there were two.

 

"This is bullsh-"

 

"Nicole." Dolls cut her off. "Calm down."

 

"I'm in the _center_ of this op. I deserved to know sooner."

 

She could feel a headache approaching.

 

"If I were you, I'd tell that _friend_ of yours not to show up tomorrow night."

  
  


That night, Nicole found herself at Waverly's door. The headache from earlier disappeared as she was greeted with a bright smile.

 

"This is unexpected." Waverly moved off to the side of the doorway to let Nicole in.

 

"I'm sorry, I can leave. I just wanted to see you." _Before this is all over_ _._

 

"No, it's fine." Waverly's smile grew impossibly bigger. "Unexpected is good sometimes, right?"

 

"I've had a long day and you seem to make those kind of days better." Honesty seeped from Nicole's pores, the wrong kind of honesty.

 

"We can watch a movie? Or something else."

 

The sly look on Waverly's face didn't go unnoticed.

 

"A movie is good." Safe.

 

The movie wasn't good. That damn headache came back and Nicole couldn't focus on anything. It didn't help that Waverly's hand was interlaced with hers the entire time.

 

By the time they fell asleep, it was almost midnight. Nicole was exhausted, emotionally and physically. Everyone handled situations differently and Nicole couldn't figure out how to handle this one. How do you tell someone that the person they've known and have grown to like, isn't who they thought they were?

  
  


Breakfast was quiet. Nicole's thoughts were too loud to maintain a steady conversation. Her hands shook with every bite, every minute that passed.

 

"We should talk." Waverly stated quietly.

 

"Okay..?" Nicole sat her fork down on her plate.

 

"You know, about us." She clarified. "What _this_ is."

 

Nicole's stomach sank. "We shouldn't."

 

"Why not?" Waverly furrowed her eyebrows. "You've been avoiding this topic every time it's brought up." There wasn't any bite to her tone, it was soft. Much like Waverly.

 

Nicole sighed. "Waverly-"

 

"Nicole." Waverly stared.

 

"Don't go to work tonight." She blurted out.

 

Waverly chuckled. "I can't just _not_ go into work. It's a job, Nicole. The point of having one is to show up."

 

"Something's gonna happen tonight." She explained vaguely. "It's safer if you're just not there."

 

Waverly's face was a mixture of concern and confusion. "What's going on?"

 

Nicole stood up and grabbed her jacket from the arm of the couch, reaching in and grabbing her wallet. She walked back over to the counter, clutching the small, leather item roughly. Before she had a chance to change her mind, she grabbed the paper card out of it and put it face down on the counter.

 

"I'm _really_ sorry, Waverly." She took a deep breath, steadying herself so the tears didn't fall. "Just, please. Don't go into work tonight."

 

Waverly stared at the card with confusion as Nicole walked out the door. She carefully picked it up and flipped it over. Her stomach dropped as she read the printed text.

 

_Detective Nicole Haught_

 

_Calgary Police Dep_ _artment_

 

_Precinct 96_

 

———

 

Of course, Waverly went into work that night.

 

And of course, Nicole showed up with over a dozen other cops and agents trailing behind her. When she locked the cuffs roughly around Champ's wrists, the satisfying feeling she expected to have wasn't there.

 

They charged Rosita and Champ on drug trafficking, possession, murder and multiple other charges. The drugs alone were enough to send them both to prison with a sentence of twenty five to life.

 

After the paperwork was done, Nicole had to conduct interviews. It was mandatory procedure for arrests, cases, like this. Question anyone who might have ties to the case.

 

The look on Wynonna's face was hard and unreadable as Nicole closed the door to the interrogation room behind her. The brunettes arms were crossed in front of her as she slouched into the cold metal chair. Nicole could tell it wasn't her first time in a room like this. The questionable looks, nervous twitching, a million "I didn't have anything to do with it" was a common occurrence from people in situations like this. Wynonna didn't do any of that.

 

"She really liked you, yanno. I knew there was something off about you but I trusted you for some reason. She liked you and you hurt her." Wynonna glared.

 

Nicole sighed. Her head was pounding. "I know. Wynonna, look-"

 

"Am I a suspect?"

 

"No."

 

"Good." She smiled tight lipped. "I'll see you never, _Detective_ Haught."

 

Nicole got the same treatment from Chrissy. The same attitude, same hard stare, same speech.

 

"I know you were only trying to do good. But, you could've told her, at least."

 

"I couldn't, actually. That's the point of being _undercover._ "

 

"Yeah, yeah." Chrissy rolled her eyes. She leaned forward in her seat. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just slightly disappointed. Mercedes deserves the justice you're trying to bring her, that's why I'm not mad. Waverly, though. You-"

 

"I know." Nicole cut her off. "I hurt her and I'm sorry."

 

"You shouldn't be saying sorry to me, Nicole. Do you know how much she actually cared about you? She never let's herself get _that_ close to people anymore. You brought back _our_ Waverly." She sighed. "And it was all a lie."

 

"No." Nicole shook her head. "Not all of it. I-"

 

"Can I go?" Chrissy quirked an eyebrow. "I mean, no offense, but these chairs are uncomfortable and cold and I'm tired."

 

"You can go." Nicole mumbled.

  
  


She wasn't going to talk to Waverly. Technically, she wasn't even allowed to considering the circumstances. When Dolls told her Waverly said she'd only speak to her, she jumped at the chance anyway. Even if it was against protocol and a definite conflict of interest.

 

The room seemed colder than before when she entered. The pain at the back of her head was persistent now and she was desperate to pop a few Advil's and call it a day.

 

Nicole expected Waverly to be mad, pissed even. She expected the sad expression currently spread across her face.

 

But she didn't expect it to hurt _this_ much.

 

"What was I to you?" The room was so quiet, Waverly's words could break glass.

 

"What?"

 

"I mean, was it all just an undercover thing? Did you only screw me to screw over Champ. Or was that not on the itinerary?"

 

"Waverly, no." Nicole's feet stayed planted in the corner, unmoving. "I- we-, what we had was real. Or most of it. What I felt for you wasn't fake. This is so much harder than I thought it would be."

 

"Why didn't you tell me? We didn't have to have sex. You could've said no."

 

Nicole's voice cracked as she spoke. "I'm sorry."

 

"Did you really believe I had something to do with it? The other guy told me we were all suspects."

 

The air was different, awkward. Nicole didn't know what to say. Of course, going in, they were all suspects. It was standard procedure. They had to question any and everyone's involvement. But never once did Nicole think Waverly was involved.

 

"No, Waverly. Not for a second did I believe you knew anything. Any of you guys."

 

Waverly stood up, grabbing her purse from the back of her chair. "I hope it was all worth it." She mumbled as she opened the door.

 

Nicole groaned, throwing her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. Taking a few deep breaths to compose herself.

 

The rest of the morning was spent filling out final reports. The ATF was wrapping things up until the trial in a few days, so Nicole was mostly alone with her thoughts for the rest of the night.

 

She looked around the bullpen. It was mostly empty due to the late, or early, hour. Even her partner, Doc, wasn't there. Which was unusual to say the least. He was more dedicated to his job than Nicole was.

 

Dolls walked into the open area, Lucado following shortly behind him.

 

"Congratulations, you two." She started. "You'd be good in our bureau." She looked at Nicole.

 

Nicole smiled politely. "I think I like where I'm at. Thank you, though."

 

"Dead bodies and closed murder cases? Whatever suits you, I suppose."

 

After she left, Dolls sat down in the chair at the side of Nicole's desk. It was normally used to interview people that came in as a witness or reporting a crime.

 

"You like her?"

 

"Lucado?" Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. "She's annoying."

 

Dolls rolled his eyes. "No. Waverly, you dumbass."

 

Nicole snorted. "It doesn't make a difference. She's more than done with me now."


	7. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on Twitter: @wlwearp

The following Monday everyone gathered in the large courtroom. Nicole sat towards the front with Dolls, Lucado and Nedley as witnesses if need be. She glanced around the room, her eyes locking onto Waverly's.

 

Every inch of her felt sick. When she got called to the stand by Champ and Rosita's lawyer, her eyes never strayed from where Waverly sat in the back row.

 

The lawyer went through the usual line of questioning; asking what she saw, heard and if there was any proof to back it up.

 

The trial went smoothly and with success. The minute Champ got on, the district attorney tore him apart. Rosita answered every question with ease a precision but they had enough evidence against her considering she was in the room distributing drugs as they came in.

 

Relief flushed over Nicole as the judge called out the sentence. 25 to life. Nicole's work was done. She spent months undercover on this case. Hours and hours spent trying to get rock hard evidence to get justice for the victims.

 

It was all worth it, though. Every second, every minute, every hour of every day — she'd be lying if she said she wasn't glad it was over — because she was glad. No more lying about who she really was to the people closest and most important to her, no more secrets and avoided questions. No more long nights — at least not for a while — spent working on zero sleep, drinking five hour energy shots just to stay awake.

 

Dolls smiled at her from the other side of the room, she smiled back. The brightness returning to both of their eyes from before. She walked out of the courtroom, speaking shortly to the parents of the victim - of Mercedes.

 

The cool breeze felt like heaven against her skin as she walked through the exit of the courthouse. She stopped in her tracks when a familiar face came into view.

 

Waverly was standing with Wynonna and Chrissy, leaned up against the railing of the stairs, engaging in a quiet conversation. Nicole was going to walk past like she didn't notice the group of girls until Waverly's eyes found hers through the crowd of people. Her heart stopped and everything in her body froze.

 

She watched as Waverly said something to the two girls before making her way towards Nicole. Stopping a couple feet away from her, crossing her arms.

 

"You caught him." Waverly said, pointing out the obvious.

 

Nicole smiled nervously. "I had help."

 

There was silence for a few minutes. Nicole's nerves only grew more with each pause from Waverly.

 

"Was it all fake?"

 

"No." Nicole shook her head quickly. "No, Waverly. None of it was fake. Not us, at least."

 

"How am I supposed to know that?" Waverly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "How am I supposed to believe you after all of this?"

 

Nicole could feel her heart breaking more and more with each word. "I don't know.

"

"I don't want to hate you." Waverly mumbled.

 

The fall wind blew, causing chills to run up Nicole's spine. "I don't want you to."

 

"I'll see you around?"

 

Nicole nodded slightly. "Yeah, sure."

 

That's how it ended. Any hope either of them had of getting back to whatever they were, was lost. They didn't speak again after that. Waverly went about her days, still working at the club that Wynonna now owned. Nicole went back to work, keeping her thoughts as far away from Waverly as she could.

 

The days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month.

 

It had been a month since they talked and to say Nicole wasn't sad would be an understatement. She didn't realize how attached she actually was to Waverly until she wasn't around her anymore.

 

"What is your problem?"

 

Nicole looked up from her computer towards her partner, a desk away. "What?"

 

"You have been staring at that computer screen for an hour now without pressing any buttons. What is wrong?"

 

Nicole sighed loudly, leaning back into her chair. "There was a girl and now there's not a girl."

 

Doc furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

 

"I can't really go into details."

 

"Okay." He nodded. "Have you spoken to this girl?"

 

"Not for a while, no."

 

Doc leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his desk. "Maybe you should."

 

Nicole shook her head. "It wouldn't matter. She obviously doesn't wanna talk to me."

 

Doc stood up and grabbed his empty coffee cup. "Never hurts to try."

 

——

 

Waverly sighed as she sat down at the table for her lunch break. She picked up her phone, staring at the picture of her and Wynonna as the lock screen. She checked and rechecked her notifications over and over again.

 

She clicked on her messages just as her phone dinged.

 

_1 New Message: Detective_ _Dipshit_

 

She jumped, letting out a small screech and tossed her phone on the table.

 

"Whoa. Calm down." Chrissy laughed as she walked into the room.

 

Waverly took a deep breath.

 

"Isn't it weird that our break room used to be a drug lab?" The blonde joked.

 

Waverly looked around the room. Wynonna got the entire club cleaned and redone. A lot of things stayed the same except for a few rooms and the bar. Wynonna thought it was best to make a new appearance considering the last one gave them a bad rep.

 

"It's unnerving." Waverly said, no emotion to her voice.

 

Chrissy rolled her eyes, putting down her fork full of salad. "Okay, what's wrong?"

 

"Nothing."

 

"It's about Nicole, isn't it?" She tried. "You're still upset?"

 

"No."

 

Chrissy sighed. "You can lie all you want but just remember you're the worst at it."

 

Waverly huffed. "I'm annoyed. She's annoying and I'm annoyed." She started. "She walked in here like everything was normal. Let me kiss her like everything was normal. Let me have _sex_ with her like everything, again, was normal — and it wasn't, it was far from it — She's annoying."

 

"Maybe you-"

 

"And then," Waverly interrupted. "She texts me like everything is perfectly okay and she didn't lie to me for months about who she really was."

 

"Waverly!" Chrissy yelled, taking her best friends hand in hers. "First, I think you should breathe. Second, you should talk to her." She paused, continuing when Waverly didn't say anything. "You guys haven't talked since the trial. It's been over a month, maybe she can explain things a little better now."

 

Waverly grabbed her phone and slid it across the table towards Chrissy. The blonde picked it up, looking at the lit up screen.

 

"Detective Dipshit?" She quirked an eyebrow. "Clever."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "What does it say?"

 

Chrissy shrugged. "It just says that she's sorry and really wants to talk to you. See? Perfect opportunity." The blonde smiled as she started typing out a message.

 

——

 

The night air was cold, causing Nicole to wrap her jacket further around herself. She was just leaving the police station after interviewing a witness about a dead end murder case from a few years ago.

 

It seemed like everything from Nicole's past was coming back to her. Old cases, old friends, old memories. She couldn't run from it forever, no matter how much she wishes she could.

 

She had chosen not to park in the parking garage like she usually did, instead she parked on the street outside of the precinct. Something she was starting to regret when she saw Wynonna leaned up against her car.

 

"Wynonna." She greeted, pressing the button on her keychain to unlock the Camaro causing the brunette to jump.

 

"Detective Haught." Wynonna crossed her arms.

 

"Do you need something?"

 

"I came here to talk."

 

Nicole stood in front of Wynonna. "Do you have information about a case?"

 

"No."

 

"Are you here to report something?"

 

"No."

 

"Do you need police help?"

 

"No." Wynonna huffed. "Are you done?"

 

"We don't have anything to talk about." Nicole trailed off as her phone vibrated in her pocket.

 

She pulled it out, ignoring the words coming out of the brunettes mouth as she read the message from Waverly.

 

_Waverly (3:06am): Do you wanna meet for coffee or something tomorrow?_

 

"She's confused." Wynonna stated bluntly, basing her assumption off of Nicole's face.

 

"What?" Nicole looked up.

 

"Waverly." Wynonna clarified. "She's confused. I think that she wants everything to be okay between you guys but she's not sure how to do that. You lost her trust, dude."

 

Nicole's heart sunk at the last few words. Of course she had. She really didn't expect anything less but hearing it out loud from someone close to Waverly, it hurt.

 

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I would've told her but I _couldn't._ "

 

"I understand that." Wynonna nodded. "But I also didn't have sex with you two nights before finding out you weren't who I thought you were."

 

Nicole grimaced. "Gross." She mumbled. "I don't know what to do, Wynonna. I don't know what to say to her."

 

Wynonna nodded towards the phone in Nicole's hands. "Text her back. Start from there."

 

The next day, Nicole was sitting across from Waverly at the local coffee shop in Purgatory. The silence was awkward and Nicole wished she could go back to before; to the times when they could sit for hours without talking and just enjoy one another's company. They didn't have to talk, they didn't have to find an excuse to keep the conversation going.

 

A million questions ran through Waverly's head. Some, she knew, that couldn't be answered. Her stomach was in knots, her palms were sweaty and every sip she took of her coffee only made her feel more sick.

 

Nicole looked beautiful. She was in casual, civilian clothes. Different from her usual business attire identity. Her hair flew freely down to the collar of her button up.

 

Waverly couldn't speak. Every time she tried, she came up empty. It was different. The air was different and the way Nicole's fingers tapped against her coffee cup annoyed Waverly.

 

"Should I start, or do you need more time?" Nicole said quietly.

 

Waverly shook her head, still silent. She gathered her thoughts, every question she had about the last few months. Every single feeling she felt, she pushed it down and chose to give Nicole the benefit of the doubt.

 

"When did you become a cop?"

 

Nicole paused for a moment. Her fingers stopped tapping and she stared at Waverly. "Uh-" She cleared her throat. "I went into college straight out of highschool. Did my time in the police academy, worked a few years as a beat cop before transferring to narcotics. I was there for maybe two years until I got the offer to transfer to homicide."

 

Waverly nodded, her eyes never straying from Nicole's. "Why didn't you tell me?" Waverly's voice cracked. "I mean, I know in someway you couldn't so I guess that's a stupid question."

 

Nicole shook her head. "Waverly, nothing you say is stupid. You have every right to ask these questions." She paused for a second. "I wanted to tell you _so_ bad but I wasn't allowed. I'm sorry."

 

"You don't have to keep apologizing, Nicole."

 

Nicole nodded. After a few minutes, her finger went back to tapping. Causing Waverly to reach out and grab her hand, stopping the _annoying_ motion.

 

"Sorry." Nicole mumbled.

 

Waverly gave her a look, almost saying _there you go again_ _._

 

"How long were you going to be undercover? I mean, originally."

 

"A month." Nicole answered shortly.

 

"When did they tell you?"

 

"I can't really tell you that."

 

Waverly nodded. "Okay. The morning you were at my house and you got a phone call. Was that the confirmation?"

 

Nicole hesitated for a moment. "I can't tell you that either."

 

"You can't tell me a lot." Waverly pointed out.

 

Nicole smiled slightly. "That's because you seem to be only asking the questions that are complicated to answer."

 

"Well, this is complicated for me." Waverly shrugged. "You think you know someone and then you find out that they're not the someone you knew after all."

 

"Can I say something that I _can_ tell you?"

 

Waverly nodded, urging her to continue.

 

Nicole took a deep breath to prepare herself for her own words. "When I got put undercover, I wasn't expecting to make any friends." She started. "I expected to go in, get whatever intel I could and get out. Then I met you and all of that changed. Whatever we had, it was real — every single part of it. I struggled every day not being able to tell you the truth and I can't say sorry enough for not stopping it before it started."

 

"Did you think about what would happen when it was done? Your job, I mean. When the case was over. Were you ever gonna tell me?"

 

Nicole shrugged. "Well, technically I'm not even allowed to be talking to you, really."

 

"So, why are you?"

 

"Because," She sighed. "You mean a lot to me, I care about you and you deserve at least some sort of explanation."

 

Waverly picked at the edge of the foam coffee cup, leaving imprints of her nails. "I'm not saying that we can pick right up where we left off but," She looked at Nicole. "I don't want to not have you in my life. So, even if we're just friends, I do still wanna talk. No more ignoring each other."

 

Nicole smiled. "Friends?"

 

"Friends."

 

——

 

A few weeks passed as their friendship rebuilt itself. Nicole was thankful for the second chance.

 

Doc had joked with her at first, saying everything that happens from here on out is because of him telling Nicole to text her.

 

His reaction when he found out who Waverly actually was, was something Nicole would never forget.

 

They'd been at the precinct late one night, working on a missing persons case that got handed over to them on suspicions of it being a homicide.

 

Doc had been in and out of the bullpen, running files from their floor and down to the basement. Nicole could tell he was a mixture of annoyed and exhausted, they both were.

 

He plopped down in the chair next to her desk, closing his eyes and slouching down.

 

"Tired?" She laughed.

 

"Beyond."

 

Nicole laughed again, returning her attention to her computer. It was quiet for a few minutes. Nicole was convinced Doc fell asleep, until he spoke.

 

"How's it going with Waverly?"

 

Nicole quirked an eyebrow. "Good? We're friends."

 

"You never told me how you two met." He turned to her.

 

Nicole looked around the bullpen, searching for anyone within earshot. When she didn't see anyone she turned towards him and quickly blurted out, "We met when I was undercover."

 

Any inch of fatigue left in him was gone as he shot up straight, eyes bulging. "You what?"

 

She shrugged. "She worked at the club I was infiltrating and that's how we met."

 

"You were compromised? Does Nedley know?"

 

"No." Nicole replied. "Keep it down, would'ya?"

 

Doc hadn't asked anymore questions. Eventually, he started teasing her, though. Making jokes about how she fell for a potential murder suspect. Even though, Nicole knew without a doubt that Waverly didn't do it from the start.

 

The jokes dialed down after he met Waverly. Mumbling something about it being an understandable situation. Nicole couldn't do anything but laugh.

 

She was knocked out of her daydream as she heard footsteps approaching.

 

"Girlfriend alert." Doc mumbled.

 

"She's not- Waverly, hey!" She said cheerily, despite staring daggers towards Doc.

 

"Hi." Waverly smiled. "I brought you guys coffee." She handed one to Doc before handing Nicole the other.

 

"Thank you." Nicole smiled.

 

"Do you have a minute?" Waverly asked.

 

Nicole looked over at Doc as he motioned for her to go. She nodded towards Waverly as she got up, following her towards the elevators.

 

"You're blushing." Doc laughed.

 

"I _will_ dump this coffee on you."

 

Once they were in the elevators, Waverly turned to Nicole.

 

"How's work?"

 

"Slow." Nicole snorted. "But I don't think you came all the way here just to ask me that, you okay?"

 

"Wynonna kicked me out of the club because apparently, I was being annoying. So, I came to see you." She smiled.

 

"You were at the club? It's the middle of the day."

 

"Yeah. We're redoing a whole bunch of stuff still. I was helping Wynonna and Chrissy."

 

The elevator doors dinged and they both walked out.

 

"Wynonna is pretty set on rebranding, huh?" Nicole joked.

 

"Something like that." Waverly stopped by the doors, turning to face Nicole. "I'm really glad we're friends."

 

Nicole smiled. "Yeah, me too."

 

——

 

It was a slow day for Nicole. She didn't have any cases to work on, even after begging Nedley to put her on something, _anything._

 

Her and Doc spent most of the day tossing paper balls from one end of the bullpen to the other before they got scolded by another detective.

 

So, when a _fight in progress_ just outside of Calgary came over the radio, they jumped at the chance. Even if it wasn't their field. They've had their fair share of 10-10's in their line of work.

 

Nicole should've recognized the address but it didn't click until she was turning onto the back road that she's grown all too familiar with.

 

"Must be a slow day for CPD if they're sending homicide detectives to the scene." One of the beat cops mumbled as they entered the club behind Nicole and Doc.

 

"You have no idea." Doc replied.

 

The fight was fairly easy to break up. The man that initially started it decided he wanted to press charges against the other so Doc offered to bring him to the precinct. Nicole on the other hand, couldn't tear her eyes from Waverly and a _very_ gorgeous, tall blonde laughing and smiling at the other end of the bar.

 

The jealousy that sat in the pit of her stomach was unwanted and made Nicole want to down a bottle of vodka to mask the unsettling feeling. She pushed it down, though. Giving Wynonna a rundown of the situation they came for and what they were doing to handle it, receiving a _thanks_ in response.

 

Nicole took that moment to fully look around the club. A lot of aspects were, in fact, different. The bar was completely redone. It wrapped around the glass shelves in the middle of it instead of stopping at either end, now. The balcony looked different, more sturdy and safe for a bunch of drunk people.

 

"It looks nice." Nicole complimented.

 

"Yeah." Wynonna agreed. "There's still a lot I want to do but there's no longer a drug room in the back so, I guess that's a plus, right?"

 

Nicole laughed. "Yeah, it is. Maybe I'll make it back here one day I'm not working."

 

"I'm sure Waverly would love that."

 

Nicole's eyes drifted to the smaller girl behind the bar, entranced in conversation still. "Sure."


	8. VII

Four days. It had been four days since Waverly _actually_ talked to Nicole. They had texted and Waverly brought Nicole coffee at the precinct one of those days but, the conversations were short and seemed forced. It seemed like Nicole didn't want to talk to her, like she was distancing herself in hopes that Waverly would just give up. Which, she almost did. Until Wynonna mentioned something about a very jealous Nicole when she saw Waverly 'flirting' with a girl at the club the other night.

 

The thought of it made Waverly laugh. She hasn't thought about dating anyone else since she met Nicole. A part of her felt like Nicole didn't want to date her, like being just friends was enough for her. Which, to be fair, if all they could be was _just_ _friends_ then that would be enough for Waverly, too.

 

She made her way into the precinct, two cups of coffee occupying both of her hands. She smiled as she handed a cup to Doc, receiving a smile from the man before making the short walk to Nicole's desk, clearing her throat to get the redheads attention.

 

Once Nicole tore her focus away from the computer in front of her, Waverly held up the cup in her hand.

 

"Wanna walk or should I talk here?"

 

Nicole raised one eyebrow. "I wasn't aware we needed to talk?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "Wynonna told me you were jealous, I figured that's something to talk about."

 

Nicole quickly got up from her chair, grabbing Waverly's arm gently and pulling her towards the elevators. Mumbling a "shut up" as she walked past Doc.

 

The elevator ride was silent. Waverly held out the cup of coffee, suddenly remembering it was in her hand. She started to regret it the minute Nicole started that incessant, annoying tapping. Waverly shot her a look until Nicole stopped, whispering _sorry_ as the doors to the elevator opened.

 

"I'm not jealous." Nicole started as they sat down at one of the small tables in the cafeteria. "You have every right to flirt, talk to and date whoever you want."

 

Waverly smiled. "What if I want to do all of that with you?"

 

"What?"

 

"Go on a date with me." She prompted. "It can be a friendly date if that makes you more comfortable."

 

Nicole quirked her head to the side in a motion that reminded Waverly of a puppy.

 

"You can say no." Waverly laughed when Nicole didn't say anything.

 

Nicole shook her head. "No. I-I mean, yes. I'll go on a date with you."

 

"Okay." Waverly replied.

 

"Okay?"

 

Waverly nodded. "Yup." She smiled, standing up. "I'll text you."

 

Waverly didn't text her for three days and it drove Nicole nuts. Every few minutes she was checking her phone. Something that caused Doc to laugh and only tease her more.

 

When Waverly did text her, Nicole wasn't prepared. Not that you could really be prepared for an unexpected expected text.

 

It was one of _those_ days. You know, the days where you don't want to get out of bed to even just use the restroom. _Those_ days. Nicole had the day off, which she was thankful for given the way she was feeling.

 

She had planned on spending the entire rest of her day in bed eating stale chips and rewatching a TV show she's seen numerous times. That was the plan, until Waverly decided that was the day she'd text her.

 

_Waverly (4:31pm): wanna do something tonight?_

 

_Nicole (4:33pm): is it considered a date?_

 

_Waverly (4:34pm): only if that's a yes_

 

Nicole smiled at her phone, her mood suddenly increasing.

 

_Nicole (4:37pm): it is_

 

_Waverly (4:40pm): great, I'll be there in twenty minutes (:_

 

That made Nicole panic. Jumping out of her messy bed, completely abandoning the TV and chips and running into her bathroom. She did a once over in the mirror, combing through her hair with her fingers before grabbing her brush.

 

Everything about her appearance screamed tired. She did her best to make herself look presentable before Waverly showed up at her door.

 

"Thanks for the warning." Nicole said as she answered the door.

 

Waverly laughed and walked into the apartment, taking in the new environment. Nicole realized that Waverly had never actually been to _this,_ her, apartment before. Anytime Waverly came over, she was always coming to the apartment in Purgatory. Not Nicole's _actual_ home.

 

"What's better than a spontaneous date?" Waverly joked.

 

"A planned date."

 

"Where's the fun in that?"

 

Nicole grabbed her jacket off the rack and turned to Waverly. "Is this good? Should I change?"

 

Waverly gave her a once over, smiling when she reached her eyes. "Nope. That should be good."

 

The drive to Purgatory seemed longer than usual, only feeding into Nicole's nerves more. They'd been on plenty of dates before but for many reasons, this was different. Nicole was just _Nicole_ and Waverly was just _Waverly._ It was no longer an undercover assignment, there were no lies or secrets between them. Anything Waverly wanted to know, she could receive an answer to. Nicole didn't have to hide herself in fear of giving anything away.

 

"Will you _please_ stop the tapping." Waverly faced her when they reached a red light, signaling that they were reaching town limits.

 

"I'm sorry." Nicole said quietly. "This is just different and it keeps me calm. It's a habit."

 

Waverly grabbed Nicole's hand, interlacing their fingers and placing their hands in her lap. "Better?"

 

Nicole smiled, taking a deep breath and nodding her head.

 

They arrived in Purgatory soon after. Waverly parked her Jeep in a parking spot on one of the back roads that Nicole was unfamiliar with. Once they got out of the car, Waverly intertwined their hands again, dragging Nicole down the street excitedly.

 

"Why do I feel like every time you plan something for us to do, you're more excited than I am?"

 

Waverly laughed. "Because you don't know what's just ahead of you."

 

After a few minutes of walking, or more like jogging just to keep up with Waverly's fast steps, they came to the middle of town. The main street was crowded with people, the smell of fair food filling Nicole's senses. Instant happiness washed over Waverly as Nicole cracked a smile. Without saying anything, Waverly pulled Nicole into the street.

 

They walked around for almost an hour, eating food, talking and laughing. Most of Nicole's childhood was spent hating any fair, festival and the works but the smile plastered across Waverly's face as she stared at the small ferris wheel at the end of the street made it all worth it.

 

"We have to go on it." Waverly turned towards her, a pleading look on her face.

 

Nicole, of course, gave in and paid for both of them to get on the ferris wheel. The ride was slow and steady until Waverly thought it was fun to move the cart and practically make Nicole piss herself.

 

"It says right there, no rocking." She pointed to the small sign stuck to the front of the cart.

 

"Scaredy cat." Waverly mumbled.

 

"No." Nicole corrected. "I just don't want my obituary to say _death by ferris wheel_ all because you can't follow the rules."

 

"Debbie Downer." Waverly crossed her arms.

 

Nicole laughed at her stubbornness as the ferris wheel came to a stop and they got off. She spent the entire night chasing Waverly around the streets like a child as the brunette pointed out all of her favorite games, of course, making Nicole play them with her.

 

The genuine happiness that Nicole felt compared to this morning was palpable. Waverly had a way of doing that — of turning Nicole's bad days into good days — no matter what was happening.

 

"We have to play the squirt gun game." Waverly interrupted her thoughts, tightening her grip on Nicole's hand.

 

"You do remember me being a cop, right? They literally teach you how to hit the target in police training."

 

Waverly smiled knowingly. "Yes. But," She pointed out. "Most fair games are rigged and since I've been doing this since I was a child, I think I have the advantage."

 

Which, she did. Nicole played three games and couldn't find a strategy to win a single one of them. The disappointment spread across her face made Waverly laugh.

 

"Don't be a sore loser. I told you I'd win." She said as they walked back to Waverly's car.

 

"Way to rub it in."

 

Nicole could tell Waverly was nervous. Every few steps she would tighten her grip on Nicole's hand and then loosen it before doing it again.

 

"What's going on?" Nicole asked.

 

Waverly sighed, stopping dead in her tracks and facing Nicole.

 

"Can I kiss you?" She blurted out. "I was going to do it earlier but I didn't know if you wanted to and I don't want it to be awkward or anything between us again, so."

 

Nicole chuckled. "I said yes to going out on a date with you and you think I don't want you to kiss me?"

 

"Well, they're not really mutually exclusive so, yes."

 

Nicole grabbed Waverly's waist, pulling her closer before leaning in and placing a short, chaste kiss on the shorter girls lips.

 

Waverly smiled and wrapped her arms around Nicole's shoulders, pulling her back down, lips meeting again in a longer, more passionate kiss.

 

Once they broke apart, Waverly smiled and whispered. "We should do that more often."

 

——

 

**Epilogue**

 

The sun peaked through the window giving off a small bit of light, enough to wake Waverly up from her sleep. She smiled brightly, wrapping her arms tighter around her girlfriend causing Nicole to stir in her sleep. The happiness that washed over Waverly when Nicole cracked her eyes open and smiled at her was enough.

 

"What time is it?" Nicole mumbled sleepily.

 

Waverly's smile grew. "Early."

 

Nicole groaned. "Why are you awake?"

 

The brunette let out a soft laugh. "Happy Anniversary, baby."

 

That caused Nicole to smile and open her eyes, any fatigue drained out of her. "It's been a month already, huh?"

 

Waverly remembered the day so vividly, it was something she'd never forget. The smile on Nicole's face as Waverly danced around her kitchen while making breakfast. Nicole, of course, complained about it being vegan but Waverly knew it was all jokes. She'd gotten used to it by now.

 

They ate breakfast that day with happy looks on their faces. The night before had went perfectly and if Waverly didn't know any better, she'd be scared for the future. They'd been through so much and after everything that happened, it took a lot to regain trust between them. Waverly wasn't scared of the future, though. She was excited for it. Excited for everything that was to come; every obstacle, every bad day but every good day and happy moment they could share.

 

Nicole had to stop into work today to talk to Nedley about an old case but, other than that, they were both free for the rest of the day and Waverly couldn't be more grateful; like the universe was finally doing something right.

 

When Nicole got home, Waverly kissed her sweetly and offered to order food after she talked on the phone with Wynonna. Her sister had begged her to come into the club that night but she declined, explaining what had happened which gave her a pass from Wynonna.

 

Waverly wasn't expecting it. They were laying on the couch, hardly watching the movie that Nicole put on. Their arms stayed wrapped around each other tightly as Waverly went into detail about how she broke her wrist as a child.

 

Nicole was paying attention, she'd swear to it. Consciously, her mind was there but subconsciously, it was in ten different places.

 

She barely recognized the words as they left her lips. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

 

"What?" Waverly looked up at her.

 

"I'm pretty sure you heard me." She laughed.

 

"I mean," Waverly sat up, gauging Nicole's reaction. "You're not kidding?"

 

Nicole shook her head.

 

"Yes." Waverly smiled. "Oh my God, yes."

 

It was hard to believe that all that was just a month ago. A month seemed like forever in Waverly's eyes, in a good way, of course. Nicole would get off work and come into the club, sitting in the same spot, ordering the same drink and giving Waverly the same looks from across the bar every night. When Waverly got off of work, they'd leave together. Either going to Waverly's apartment or driving all the way to Nicole's.

 

Most Fridays were spent getting coffee in the afternoon. Of course, after Waverly spent an hour dragging Nicole out of bed in the morning. Usually, Nicole was good at getting up. She had a job after all. It was different when Waverly was in her bed though. She didn't want to get up because that meant she had to go into work and spend the day without the brunette.

 

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you planned something?" Nicole looked at Waverly.

 

Waverly nodded enthusiastically. "I did, which means _you're_ going to get out of bed this morning."

 

Nicole laughed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She said as she kissed Waverly's forehead.

 

Most of their morning was spent in bed wrapped in each other's arms, exchanging innocent kisses. After Nicole, reluctantly, rolled out of bed, her and Waverly got coffee like they had everyday before. Turns out, Waverly had a plan set for every minute. They went out to dinner in the evening and went to the movies after. Spending the rest of the evening just like the morning, except less innocently.

 

——

 

"We have to stop by Wynonna's later. Apparently, she has some big announcement to make."

 

"Ooh, maybe she has a boyfriend."

 

Waverly laughed. "I don't think so. Wynonna's as independent as they come."

 

They were walking through Purgatory hand in hand. It was almost winter so the air was cold and the streets weren't as crowded as they usually would be. More of the stores had Christmas decorations up even though Thanksgiving hadn't even passed yet. Waverly loved it so Nicole couldn't hate it.

 

Their relationship had been running smoothly. They were both happy and open, no more secrets or lies. Any trust that was seeminly lost between them had been rebuilt. Even Wynonna and Chrissy came around, not that there was much to come around to on Wynonna's part. Chrissy was only wary because Waverly was her best friend and she didn't want to see her get hurt any more than she had. Once she realized Nicole was serious, though. She was the first person to jump up and down with joy.

 

The nervous look that was on Wynonna's face as she answered the door was extremely out of character, even to Nicole. Waverly was going to make a joke about it until they entered the apartment and realized how anxious Wynonna actually was.

 

"I have to tell you guys something and you have to promise not to scream," She turned to Nicole. "Or be upset."

 

"Why would we be upset?" Nicole furrowed her eyebrows.

 

Wynonna took a staggering breath. "I have a boyfriend."

 

"I knew it!" Waverly grinned. "I mean, I didn't actually. Nicole said something and I said no because of you being so-"

 

"It's Doc Holliday." Wynonna blurted out.

 

Nicole's eyes went big. "What?"

 

Wynonna started pacing around the small living room. "I don't know?" She shrugged. "It just kinda happened when we all started hanging out."

 

"We all started hanging out two months ago." Waverly pointed out.

 

Wynonna nodded. "I know."

 

"And you're just telling us this now?"

 

"Well," Wynonna trailed off. "I uh, I maybe have more news."

 

Nicole snorted. "This oughta be good."

 

Wynonna glared at her. "This is anything but funny."

 

Waverly grabbed Wynonna's hand, pulling her gently to the couch. "Don't you think you should sit down?"

 

Wynonna sighed as she sat down between the two of them. "I'm-" She paused, taking a deep breath and leaning her head into her hands. "I'm pregnant." She said quietly.

 

——

 

Waverly smiled happily as she walked into the bedroom to see Nicole asleep. She quickly got dressed and crawled into bed, kissing Nicole softly on her cheek before wrapping her arm around her and falling fast asleep.

 

Everything seemed to finally be coming together after their rocky start. Wynonna was three months into her pregnancy, she decided to tell Doc which made Nicole happier than to be expected. Doc was extremely happy to be a parent. Nicole had to listen to him go on and on about it at work. Of course, she wouldn't complain. Both her and Waverly were happy for them and _almost_ just as excited.

 

Waverly was more excited to be an aunt than anything and getting to experience all of it by Nicole's side was more than worth it. All of it was more than worth it.

 

All the heartbreak, lies and doubt that went on behind the scenes — it was all worth it and Waverly wouldn't take it back or change it for the world. Everything that happened led to today; Waverly wrapped around Nicole comfortably with a loving smile on her face and happiness in her heart.

 

No. She wouldn't change any of it.

 

She couldn't even imagine what her life would be like if Nicole hadn't walked into the club that night, went against every single rule of operation and flirted aimlessly with her despite possibly getting in trouble and blowing the entire case.

 

She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without Nicole and she would do her damnedest to make sure the redhead stays in her life.

 

No matter what.

 

Nicole was her rock, her solid ground. If putting up with whatever bullshit the universe threw their way meant she'd get to spend every second making the redhead smile, she would.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a second book, don't kill me yet.


End file.
